Naruto 1. Prologue: The Secret

_Just a Game // wolf08_

**_- _Just a Game -**

**_________________**

**This story is dedicated to my best friend, Melanie Gagnon, for her successful recovery.**

**_A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…_**

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Never Alone_- BarlowGirl (Inspirational / Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**- Chapter 1 -**

**Prologue- The Secret**

**_________________**

**_"It may be raining, but there's a rainbow above you. You better let somebody love you before it's too late"_**

**_-The Eagles_**

**_"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul, that makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds"_**

**_-from The Notebook_**

"Uchiha! What the heck is the matter with you?" Ibiki roared, nostrils flaring. His hands trembled to the point of fumbling with his clipboard, his expression tantalized. "How many times must I repeat: Your first priority is to _put effort into the task at hand_?! What is there left for me to do to get the stinkin' message through that thick head of yours?!" The surrounding peers exchanged nervous glances. The Great Sasuke Uchiha would not take this well.

Sasuke was crouched on a mat in the center of the gymnasium after getting his butt whipped in a wrestling match against the slowest, densest kid in his class. He bowed his head and muttered incoherent words under his breath.

"What was that, boy?" Ibiki demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I _said_ that I DID try!" Sasuke snapped, traces of a pompous attitude seeping through his cool façade.

A muscle in Ibiki's jaw twitched. The class's eyes widened in terror, and murmurs of condolence and anticipation swept across the gym. "SILENCE!" he bellowed and his students obeyed at once. "Stand up, Uchiha!"

Sasuke lifted his head with surprise. Stand up? Was Ibiki going to throw him out? Was he going to suspend him or even beat him? He hesitantly rose to his feet, trying to hide the fact that his sprained ankle was throbbing harder than ever before. "Follow me, and don't dawdle!" Ibiki growled, walking at a brisk pace towards a set of doors that led to a narrow hallway between the two change rooms. Without sparing his classmates a glance (he was far too embarrassed), he trudged along after his teacher—sprained ankle and all. Once Ibiki was behind the set of doors and well out of earshot, the class's volume cranked up to a boisterous level once again. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Did his classmates feel sorry for him or were they glad that they had one less person to compete with for Ibiki's attention? Whatever. It's not like he cared or anything.

Ibiki shut the door. _Click._ They were alone. Ibiki turned to face him. Avoiding his eyes, Sasuke let his own wander to the Sports Board on the far wall. Football tryouts started next week. "I seriously want to know what's wrong with you," Ibiki said, trying not to sound threatening, although his voice slightly shook. Sasuke pretended to ignore him. "You're usually the top in the class… but since yesterday… you've sucked." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Oh how he hated blunt, honest people. "Do you have something on your mind? Because if you do, I strongly suggest you shake it off. We have a fitness test on Friday and I'll feel guilty if I have to fail you. You have potential you know." He paused, carefully watching Sasuke's blank expression.

Sasuke was not planning on telling Ibiki about his sprained ankle. His first reason was that he didn't want his father to know about it. Secondly, if the news of his injury was passed along to his fangirls, they'd be bound to use this weakness to their advantage. _No. I'm not taking any chances,_ Sasuke thought, cringing. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he lied. "I think I'm just tired."

Ibiki sneered. "Well, let's hope that you get your beauty sleep tonight then, huh?" Sasuke chose not to respond. "I'm afraid that I can't let you back in my class today. I don't want you holding us back or causing disruptions. So I'm going to send you to the fitness room. Do some exercises, but stay off the machines. There is another boys class in there, so keep quiet and don't disturb them. Ka-pish?"

"Yes, sensei," he answered, thankful for the mildness of his punishment.

"Good," Ibiki said, departing. Sasuke watched his retreating form until he was around the corner and hidden from view. That was close. Too close.

Much to his dismay, the fitness room was noisy and jam-packed. The present teacher, Gai, was preoccupied with one of his students, Rock Lee, who didn't seem to understand how to use the rowing machine. Sasuke crept in soundlessly and went straight for the weights. After all, it was just about the only thing in here that he _could _do that didn't involve the prohibited machines or putting pressure on his ankle.

After about 7 reps with a 10-pounder, he was tackled from behind. Of course, the intent of the tackle had been friendly, but unfortunately it had caused Sasuke to drop the weight onto his sprained foot. He let out a small frustrated cry, but it went unnoticed. "What are you doing here, Sasuke?" asked the vexing source of Sasuke's pain and irritation.

"I h-hate you Naruto," was his baffled reply, his voice cracking.

"I already know that," Naruto said with a chuckle. "What's the reason this time?"

"You make me drop 10 pounds onto my sprained ankle," Sasuke groaned.

Naruto stared at him hypothetically. "You sprained your ankle?" Sasuke nodded, suddenly regretting that he'd opened his mouth. A devious grin sprouted beneath Naruto's nose. "Someone should tell your fangirls!"

"No!" Sasuke hissed. This was why he hated having a loudmouth for a best friend. Naruto knew that Sasuke detested his fangirls and wanted nothing more than to be left alone, which was exactly why Naruto pestered him about them. Sasuke's downfalls were Naruto's opportunities to shine, after all. It wasn't easy living in his shadow. "They'll consider me vulnerable and corner me! And then who _knows_—"

"Oh bah! You need a girlfriend anyways Sasuke. You always act so violent and angry!"

Sasuke glowered at him. "Maybe the reason I act violent and angry is because you tell the whole school everything that _I_ tell _you_!"

"Alright, cool it, guys. You know how much I can't stand noise. Man, what a drag. What's going on over here?" asked a new voice.

"You wouldn't believe it, Shikamaru! Sasuke sprained his ankle!" Naruto exclaimed with such excitement that passers-by would glance over their shoulders to catch a glimpse of whatever or whoever had caused such an uproar.

Shikamaru folded his arms. "Are you planning on telling your fangirls? I wouldn't recommend it." Sasuke scowled. Everyone seemed to know that his fangirls were his greatest, if not _only _weakness.

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Naruto whined. "I, for one, would find it terribly amusing to watch Sasuke get tackled by a wad of girls. I mean, what if—in all the fuss—what if Sasuke got a girlfriend? Wouldn't _that_ make it all worthwhile?" Shikamaru rested his chin on his balled fist, considering Naruto's side of the argument.

Sasuke shook his head. Shikamaru just _couldn't_ take Naruto's side this time! Firstly, Shikamaru was the smartest kid in their grade, and surely watching Sasuke lose his dignity wouldn't satisfy him-? At least, it better not. And anyways, what made them think that Sasuke would ever _want_ a girlfriend?! Especially one of those ditzy, mindless fangirls? "Don't listen to Naruto," Sasuke piped up. "Both of you know how much I hate them! And if they found out about this… _secret_ of mine, just imagine what they'd do to me! I'll do anything for you not to tell them!"

Before Shikamaru could give a straight answer, Naruto butt in with a new triumphant gleam in his eyes. "Oh, oh, oh! Do you mean it, Sasuke? You'd do _anything_?"

Sasuke tilted his head to the side. "Well, what do you have in mind?" he asked carefully, feeling a little nervous. Naruto had a pretty wild imagination.

"I want you to ask someone out."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Isn't this exactly what I was trying to avoid?"

"No, no! You don't understand! This will be different! It doesn't have to _be_ one of those slobbery stalkers of yours. You can ask anyone you'd like! I know a lot of decent girls in this school who'd at least give you some space."

Sasuke weighed his options. Either he got mugged and Lord-knows-what-ed by his fangirls, or he picked a smart, classy girl (who'd give him space), and have her for a girlfriend for… "Wait, how long is this bet-thing on for?"

"Hmm… How about three weeks? If you and whoever it is you chose can keep a steady relationship for three whole weeks, Shikamaru and I will pretend that we never knew that your ankle was sprained. Sound fair?"

Sasuke grunted. "I guess so. Fine, I'll do it."

"Perfect!" Naruto exclaimed, words laced with an awkwardly feminine charm.

"Ah, hold it!" Shikamaru said, raising his palm up to stop them. "You'd better ask her today, Sasuke."

"What?!"

"You heard me. If you hold off for too long, your ankle will heal, and therefore, you will see no reason to take part in this bet. And so, we'll be too late to tell _anyone _about the sprain. Am I right?" he asked with smirk.

"Ok, ok! I'll ask someone today! You happy now? All I've got to do is tell her that she's my girlfriend now, and in exactly three weeks, I'll tell her to take a hike!"

Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged glances. "Um… no, that won't work," Shikamaru said, scratching his head.

Naruto nodded. "You've got to take her out on dates, give her compliments—"

"W-whoa, whoa, whoa! That wasn't part of the bet! You can't just throw in little quirks at the last minute!" Sasuke snapped, furious.

"Erm, sorry buddy, but you don't have much of a choice. If you don't give her enough attention, she'll dump you first, and your secret will slip," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "I know it's a pain, but females are a lot different than we are. They need attention."

"Fine. Ok, I'll take her on a few dates. Is that good enough?"

Naruto put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Just one more word of advise: Don't dump her too harshly. It won't be fair for the poor girl to have her heart broken, whoever she is."

Sasuke snorted. "I'll dump her however I want. As long as she gets out of my life as quickly as she got in it."

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**- Chapter 2: She's the One -**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	2. She's The One

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Run the Show_- Kat DeLuna (Hip Hop / R&B)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 2-**

**She's the One**

**_________________**

"Well, well, well!" a complacent, taunting voice echoed through the 2nd floor hallway. Heads whipped around to catch a glimpse of its confident female owner. A new, strong (and slightly repulsive) scent of perfume was wafting through the parting crowd. "If it isn't _Sakura Haruno!_" the voice jeered, a twisted smirk tugging at the corners of her plumped, glossy lips. Meet Ino Yamanaka. She began her sly cat-walk towards the said girl, carefully placing one oh-so-delicately small foot before the other and swaying her hips just enough for a dramatic effect. Someone in the watching crowd wolf-whistled. Her smirk widened when she saw her victim's eyes widen in terror. Sakura Haruno was now the rabbit, wrapped in a snake's coils; her fate rested in Ino's hands.

Sakura felt her pencil case slip off the pile of books cradled in her arms, and when she quickly reached down to pick it up, she caught a few sniggers in the surrounding crowd. Not only was Sakura Haruno feeling horrified—she was stunned. Ino, her ex-best-friend, who hadn't talked to her for at least a year, suddenly chose _now_ of all times (with a huge crowd watching) to talk to her?! Ino paused, just less than a metre away, folded her arms and tossed her blonde side-bang aside with an eased flick of the head. She blinked several times, mascara-coated lashed beating together, and eyebrows cocked.

Sakura's own eyebrows were furrowed. "What is it?" she asked calmly, although an inner voice was screaming for her to slap Ino right across the face for causing such a scene. Sakura didn't deserve this brutal embarrassment. Was there something wrong with her appearance? Sakura glanced down at her pale blue skinny-jeans, and scanned her crimson v-neck. No stains, holes or splotches. Nada. Zilch. She adjusted her blue headband and smoothed her shoulder-length pink hair with her hand. Still, nothing seemed wrong. Was Ino just PMS-ing for the umpteenth time?

"Hm, that's not the nicest way to greet your old friend, now is it?" Ino asked mockingly, turning to giggling, sniggering crowd for verification that they were on her side.

"I-I don't have time for this," Sakura said quietly, grabbing a textbook from her locker to add it to the pile in her arms and slamming it shut. "Sorry, I've got to go to class. My next one's on the first floor," she lied, desperately trying to free herself from the situation. _Darn it!_ Sakura thought. _If Ino had only come five minutes earlier, my best friends, Hinata and Tenten, would still be here to defend me! Grr, I shouldn't have told them to go on ahead!_

Although the crowd was thinning (several people went off to their classes too), the remaining few either roared with laughter or conjured up a smirk similar to Ino's. "You haven't changed, I see!" Ino gibed, joining in with the laughing. "What, are you _afraid to be late_? You've always been a weird one, haven't you? You're so much more interested in books than boys, sometimes I wonder if you're a #$%."

Rage building up inside her, Sakura prepared to retort in the most threatening way possible, but was drowned out by a shrill scream from somewhere down the hallway. "Eeeeeek! It's Uchiiihaaaa!" Ino's head snapped around (along with several other girls' heads) to ogle at a boy passing through an intersecting hall.

Sakura felt her mouth hanging open and made no effort to close it. Boy, was he gorgeous. Sleek, black hair—the back spiked to fine points and the front smooth, a long, straight nose (but not too long), pale, soft and almost frail skin, a tall, lean, athletic build, and dark, mysterious eyes… Once he spotted Ino, an expression of pure consternation and fright crossed his face- his pupils shrinking and his features darkening—frozen to the spot like a deer in the headlights. Sakura was slightly relieved that Ino had refocused on something _other_ than her, so she decided that it was safe to drop her guard and motioned to turn in the other direction.

_SLAP!_

Searing pain shot through her skin on the right side of her face. "I-Ino!" she gasped, touching her cheek with surprise, her books tumbling to the floor and sprawling across the hall, bending pages and ripping book covers.

"We'll talk later," Ino chirped with finality, turning away with the laughing crowd. Bemused, Sakura brushed herself off and watched their retreating forms, but then her eyes drifted beyond them, and to the black-haired, pale-skinned boy… who was staring right at her! Sakura vaguely wondered whether she had a massive, purple bruise on her face. Or did he feel bad for her? Or perhaps he thought she was some sort of loser for getting slapped by a popular girl?

By now his eyes had darted back to Ino and her crowd, who were now racing after him, forcing him to run as fast as he could. For a fleeting moment, Sakura thought she saw him limp.

Feeling disgruntled and severely humiliated, she gathered her books from the now-empty hallway and dashed off to class.

She skidded into the classroom with seconds to spare.

* * *

"That's her!" Sasuke whispered at the back of the class. "The girl who just walked in! She's the girl I'm going to ask!"

Naruto and Shikamaru were exchanging curious glances, but Sasuke didn't care. He just knew that she was the one. "I've got to hand it to you Sasuke—I never suspected you'd choose so quickly. Why did you pick her all of a sudden?" Naruto asked, but just then, a metre-stick came slamming down onto his desk, causing him to jump and let out a yelp.

"Uzumaki! Pay attention!" Anko, the substitute teacher, yelled. Naruto nodded, but once she refaced the board, he turned back to Sasuke.

"_So_?"

Sasuke folded his arms, a thoughtful expression plastered on his face. "On the way to class, I heard people yelling down a hallway. I thought nothing of it until I realized that my fangirls were there. One of them screamed when they saw me, so naturally they all turned to look at me." Sasuke paused as Anko's eyes scanned the room. "And then," he started, whispering so quietly that Shikamaru had to lean onto Naruto's desk to hear what he was saying, "I saw that the leader of my fangirls was there; Ino. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to get away without her realizing about my foot. I was about to run when she slapped that girl. I don't know why… But who cares? My fangirls hate her! Imagine the look on their faces when I ask her out!" Sasuke sniggered with pleasure.

"Hm… so you're going to use her for revenge?" Shikamaru asked.

"Basically," Sasuke replied with pride. "Man, was this ever a great idea guys! That girl might be able to help keep those fangirls away for good! And after I dump her, I'll be free!"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't think it'll work like that. Seeing how they already hate her, their hatred is just going to grow after they find out she's with you. Jealousy brings people to extreme measures, you know…"

Sasuke shrugged. "There's only one way to find out! And if they _do_ try harder, I'll tell them all straight-forwardly that I like that girl better than I like them."

"But after you dump her, they'll bully her."  
"And what gave you the impression that I was a compassionate person?"

"She's really cute," Naruto said out of the blue. "And smart. You made a good pick! I've talked to her before and she's also nice. And polite. I don't think she'll give you any trouble, Sasuke."

"You like her?" Shikamaru questioned, brows raised.

"Nah," he replied. "I like her best friend- Hinata Hyuga. That girl with the long, black hair," he said pointing at the girl next to…

"Wait! What's her name?!" Sasuke suddenly burst out (as quietly as he could).

"Hinata Hyuga."

"No, not her! The girl who _I _like!" He paused. "I mean… the girl who I'm asking out."

"Sakura Haruno," Naruto replied.

"_Sakura Haruno_," Sasuke repeated, scribbling it down on a piece of scrap paper.

'What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked promiscuously.

"Asking her out," was his curt reply.

"Oh no you don't!" Naruto said, snatching at the paper, Sasuke drawing back just in time.

"Why not?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well obviously that's not_ smooth_! Girls like it way better when they can look into your eyes! This is so… I don't know… random. When you scribble it down, it makes it seem like you don't even care."

"I _don't_!"

"Yeah, but she has to believe that you _do_!"

"Well, how else am I going to ask her out before today's over?" Sasuke asked quizzically, becoming more and more annoyed with each passing second.

"Tell her to meet you somewhere after school."

"Alright," he said, scratching a few words down onto the torn corner of a page. "Here goes nothing," he muttered bravely, raising to a crouch when the teacher's back was to them again, preparing to extend his arm and throw it onto her desk.

"Sakura Haruno better say 'yes' after all of this work," Shikamaru muttered to Naruto.

* * *

In the midst of answering text book questions, a piece of folded paper landed onto Sakura's desk. Hinata noticed it out of the corner of her eye and immediately spun around. "Someone must have thrown that to you!" she whispered excitedly. "Open it!"

Sakura also eyed it, but her expression involved a mixture of alarm and caution. "Did you see who threw it?" she asked

"No, but it was probably one of those boys at the back of the class," Hinata whispered, motioning towards the desks behind them where all of the boys were clumped. Sakura glanced at the back of the room, where all the males in the class were gathered.

_Oh, well that's likely,_ Sakura thought sarcastically. _Why would they want to pass _me _a note?!_ Despite her negativity, Sakura was thrilled. Even if this did turn out to be a blank piece of paper (that was thrown by someone who was aiming for the garbage but had horrible aim), just imagining the possibilities was enough to make her heart pump faster.

_Sakura Haruno,_

_Please meet me at the end of the day._

_I'll be waiting outside the left wing exit._

_Thanks._

"Oooh! This is amazing!" Hinata whispered, crystal-clear excitement overcoming her usually-shy personality. "I wonder what it's for!"

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "I don't know. But… they didn't leave a name. I don't know who it's from."

"How romantic! They wanted it to be a mystery!"

"Or… maybe they don't want me to know it for different reasons. Maybe it's a geek or something and they just don't want me to know that it's them," she wondered with a shrug, her thrill dissipating. "Or it could be a pervert or a murderer." Hinata also shrugged, but her eyes were still filled with eager anticipation. "Or maybe this is all a joke and no one's going to show up. Maybe they'll just take pictures from behind a window of me standing there, stupidly waiting for the mystery person to show up."

"Oh, now you're just thinking too hard," Hinata said, patting her shoulder. "It couldn't be anything like that."

"I know!" Sakura finally (silently) exclaimed. "It must be one of Ino's friends trying to make fun of me! Or what if Ino herself shows up?! Or… or maybe one of her friends is going to ask me out, play with my heart a little, and then dump me just for the fun of it, eh?! No, I can't go meet him!"

Hinata chuckled. "Sakura, sometimes having a big imagination can be a bad thing."

"You mean… you think I should go?"

"Yeah I think you should. And I think you want to."

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Yeah I do… but I'm just scared that-"

"Listen," Hinata said, fully turning to face her. "I won't leave school property. I'll wait by the front. Call my cell if something bad happens and I'll be there in thirty seconds. If not, just call me when the meeting's over. Sound good?"

"You'd do that?" Sakura asked quietly.

"That's what best friends are for! And besides, I'm really curious too!"

* * *

**Chapter 1** **Reviewers:** _Miuccia, sasusaku779, Angel's Archer, NekoDoodle, Emma0707, AkaiYuki13 _

Thank you all so much! I hope you've all checked your e-mails, because I've replied to all of you! ^_^

And I'd like to thanks everyone who has added this story to Favourites or Alerts!

* * *

**-Chapter 3: Yes, No or Neither?-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	3. Yes, No or Neither?

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _You're Not Alone_- Saosin (Alternative / Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 3-**

**Yes, No or Neither?**

**_________________**

The remains of this day certainly felt more lengthy and protracted than usual, especially with the unnerving new facts lingering at the back of Sakura's mind. Whether or not they were _good_ facts, she wasn't sure. Her mind was as uneasy as someone jumping into the water for the first time. She would end up facing one of two outcomes: floating or sinking. There were no other possibilities unless, of course, someone came to her rescue.

By now Tenten, her other best friend who was one year older than her, had been informed by Hinata about the upcoming after-school experience. Like Hinata, she was absolutely exasperated at the idea of Sakura possibly having a secret admirer or secret stalker, and agreed to stay after school and wait with Hinata at the front. Sakura, on the other hand, was having difficulty feeling the same exhilaration she'd felt after first opening the note. She later discovered that the real reason she was going to meet this person, was for her own reassurance—to cleanse her curiosity, like to quench a thirst. A quick glass of water will do, and nothing more. Sakura had not planned to _listen_ to whatever they have to say. All she wanted was to see their face.

And finally, much sooner than later, the end of the day came at last.

After bidding her farewells to her friends, she set off on a journey that would change her life.

* * *

The bell had rung exactly five minutes ago and Sakura was slowly approaching the left wing through a crammed hallway. Her heart was racing and her stomach was flipping. Just ahead, through those double-doors only ten metres away, was either her prince charming… or her doom. She was wearing a soft, velvet black jacket with two large buttons in the front over her crimson v-neck, and was she still in her blue jeans and navy hair band. A small reddish-purple bruise had developed on the right side of her face. Her pale, pink hair fluttered behind her due to her brisk pace, and her emerald eyes sparkled with anticipation.

She hesitated before opening the doors. Now was her only chance to turn back. Now or never, now or never, now or- She checked her watch. If she didn't open the doors, she would be late. Taking a deep breath and clutching her cell-phone in her pocket, she opened the doors… and was greeted by…

No one.

Well, technically not _no one_ because thirty or forty feet away to her left, there was a sidewalk filled with students running to catch their bus. To her right she could see the football field peeking out from behind the school, and of course, the odd student or teacher walking across it as a shortcut. She glanced at her watch again. The bell had rung seven minutes ago. She figured that she could wait until the twenty-minute mark. By then she would definitely know that her secret admirer had been a fraud. Just to be sure, she double-checked her surroundings to make sure that no one was secretly watching her from the shadows. When she finally felt safe enough to relax, she leaned on the ledge of a window next to the door and waited.

Each time a person exited though the door, or walked passed her, her mind would buzz and her heart would pound. She studied each one too, searching for a hint or sign… but there were none. After the seventeenth time, her senses weren't quite as alert. Then she saw the pale-skinned, black-haired, gorgeous guy come walking around the corner to her right, and at the same time, three others came walking around the left corner and two came out the door.

She reunited with her senses and her heart skipped several beats. _I must look like such a moron,_ she thought. _I'm just sitting here on the window-ledge for no apparent reason. Oooh yeah, isn't this cool? I look like a lost hobo._ She decided that it would be best not to look at the people passing (especially that guy) and pretend to be busy with something else. Pretend that she knew what she was doing. So she acted on an impulse by doing what first came to mind: put on lip gloss. So she reached into her pocket to pull out a small plastic tube. She gave it a gentle squeeze, pressing the tube to her lips. A sparkly, pink gel oozed out of a hole in the top, coating her lip with a thin, shiny layer. She smacked them together, satisfied, then took out her cell phone and pretended to be doing something with it.

"Sorry I'm late," she heard the black-haired boy say to one of the other people passing by. Which reminded her of the mystery-person. She shoved her cell back into her pocket and checked her watch. That person had to be here within the next three minutes, or else she was-

"Sakura Haruno?"

Her eyelids snapped open and she immediately lifted head upwards towards the source of the voice.

She then realized that there were now only two people standing by the left wing's exit.

The black-haired boy.

And herself.

She opened her mouth to answer him, but it was too dry. Her mind just couldn't register _why_ he was talking to her all of a sudden. She just sat there- staring right at him, a blush slowly but surely crawling up her cheeks.

"That's your name, right?" he asked, his head tilting to the side, eyebrows raised.

"U-um… yeah…,"she answered slowly.

He looked confused by her lack of response. "Er… you got my note then?"

She nearly gagged.

Rising to her feet, she gasped, "_Your_ note?! _You're_ the guy… who in class…to meet you… my friends said… w-when she slapped me…" She took a deep breath, realizing that her confuddled phrases were totally indecisive. "I mean, why would you want to meet me? I barely even know you!" she said, moulding her previously twisted words into a question.

He took a few steps towards her, shortening the gap between them. Sakura suddenly felt very small and wanted nothing more than to lean back against the window, magically disappear and reappear on the other side. "I want to ask you something," he said slowly, finally stopping two feet away. Watching him carefully, she saw his eyes quickly dart to the bruise on her face, and then back to her own eyes. He folded his arms. Then he said, a little too suddenly, "Will you go out with me?"

Her inner voices were cheering and her body was trembling with glee. Her mind, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea what to do. "I-I-," she started slowly, nervously, "d-don't know…"

He made no effort to hide his shock. Clearly he was not used to being denied or anything on the border-line of rejection. "J-Just… tell me a day of the week that you aren't busy, at least," he said, his words a little more rushed and uneasy. "And a place. Tell me a place and time and I'll be there."

Sakura could not answer him. She did realize that an opportunity like this didn't happen every day… but there was something wrong with the whole situation. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Crap, I didn't write that on the note?! Oh, sorry… I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

Her thoughts darted through memories of recognition. Uchiha? She could swear she'd heard the name recently. Her racing mind skidded to a halt.

_Rage building up inside her, Sakura prepared to retort in the most threatening way possible, but was drowned out by a shrill scream from somewhere down the hallway. "Eeeeeek! It's Uchiiihaaaa!" Ino's head snapped around (along with several other girls' heads) to ogle at a boy passing through an intersecting hall._

The significance of this situation sunk in. Fast. Sakura could feel the very same rage pulsating through her veins. This was turning out to be exactly as she'd feared. "I won't fall for it!" she suddenly yelled, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Rather than trying to comfort her, he jumped back, horrified. It was right then and there that Sakura knew she'd figured him out. "And you can't deny it now: You never _wanted_ to go out with me!" she cried, a tear falling across her bruised cheek. "Ino sent you here, didn't she?! She just wants to get under my skin and mess with my life!" More stray tears fell. "She even told me today that I was more interested in books than boys! So I guess she thought that I'd be desperate to get a boyfriend after that, huh?! Well, she was wrong!"

Sasuke's eyes were wide with confusion and desperation. "W-wait! I don't know what you're talking about!" he said quickly.

"Of course you do!" she managed to splutter between sobs. "You were there when she hit me!"

"I-I was-," he started, shaking his head. "Yeah, I was there! But you don't understand! I'm not on her side! She just follows me around! That's all!"

"What a likely story," she snapped. "Goodbye, Sasuke Uchiha. Nice try," she said with a dismissive wave over her shoulder before running around the corner towards the front of the school, tears still trickling down her cheeks.

She didn't care about what the passers-by would think.

She continued to run until she spotted Tenten and Hinata.

And threw herself into their arms.

Crying it out on their shoulders.

* * *

"So how'd it go?" Naruto asked as soon as Sasuke arrived at their meeting place—a small area between portables at the rear exit of the school. He and Shikamaru had been playing a round of one-on-one basketball while awaiting Sasuke's return. "Did she say _yes_?"

He stared at them for a few long moments before shaking his head.

Naruto dropped the basketball he'd been twirling on his finger. "She… rejected you?!"

He shook his head again.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. There are only two possible answers to this question," Shikamaru said. "And you disagreed with both. Did you even meet her at all?"

"I did!" Sasuke snapped defensively. "And… alright, she rejected me. Sort of." Naruto and Shikamaru stared with confusion. "Ok, ok. She did reject me. But that was only because… she misunderstood. She thought that Ino forced me to ask her out or something like that. So then she yelled at me, and then she ran away crying." Sasuke was not intending to tell his friends any further details. "I didn't know what to say."

Naruto sighed with a sympathetic smile. "I understand then, Sasuke. It wasn't really your fault so we'll give you one more day to pick someone else to date for three weeks. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah, I don't think we gave that girl enough time to cool down from her fight with Ino," Shikamaru added. "Girls are like that, I guess. They always hold grudges and think that everyone's out to get them. Or who knows? Maybe she just isn't the right one for you. Things just don't work out sometimes and you can't change that."

Sasuke was bewildered. They expected him to give up on her? And so suddenly? Besides, _how_ could she not be the right girl for him?! _Everything_ was right for Sasuke if he wanted it to be! After all of that work and thought he'd put into getting her apart from everyone else, and after summoning up all of that courage to actually ask her out, it would be such a shame to waste it all. He couldn't leave her believing that he and Ino were secretly plotting against her! No, she had it all mixed up! He wanted to use her to help him to plot against Ino! "I'm not through with Sakura Haruno," he said suddenly. "I think that I just need to talk to her again. I'll make her believe me."

"Why not just start fresh?" Shikamaru asked.

It was a good option. He _could_ just start fresh and ask someone else… but then a dreadful, empty feeling settled in his chest. His stubbornness led to determination. No, he wouldn't give up easily. He always had to have his way. Even if he had to fight for it. "No… I don't think that I could do that just yet. I'll give her one more chance to believe me." He paused. "Besides," he said, looking up, "I don't want to miss this opportunity. My fangirls _hate_ her. And if they think that I have bad enough taste to date her, maybe they'd start to hate _me_."

"That doesn't sound likely…," Shikamaru muttered. "But alright then. If you think that you know what you're doing, then go ahead. We won't stop you."

"I don't think we _can_ stop him," Naruto said with a smirk. "I bet that he's so into asking her out because he has the hots for her." It would take weeks for the new lump on Naruto's head to heal.

* * *

**Chapter 2 Reviewers:**

_Emma0707, alayneni, sasusaku779, Angel Dying Red, Angel's Archer, NekoDoodle, Hakumei-Tenshi, Midami Uchiha of the Sand, AkaiYuki13, Geanie-chan101_

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* * *

**-Chapter 4: Strategy-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	4. Strategy

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _That's What You Get_- Paramore (Inspirational / Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 4-**

**Strategy**

**_________________**

He passed by Sakura Haruno on the way to his homeroom class. And boy, that ought to have been one of the most awkward moments in his entire life. He had been alone (Naruto and Shikamaru had homerooms at other ends of the school), and as usual, he was weary of his surroundings (fangirls were on the prowl). Then he spotted her, walking straight towards him. His first instinct was to run at her, grab her shoulders… and shake her with his burning fury until she believed his side of the story. Thank goodness he was blessed with the virtue of temperance. Instead, he shyly acted as though he hadn't noticed her, locking his eyes on the binder, textbook and pencil case in his arms and pretending to be arranging them. Moments later, he looked up, realized that she was only a foot or so away, and stopped. So did she. They began doing the strange, uncomfortable dance where one person shuffles to the side, trying to get passed the other, but then the other person ends up going in the same direction, so they both try the other side. Then back to the first side. They realized that this wasn't getting anywhere, so they both stopped again. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, _anything_, but she beat him to it.

"_Excuse me_," she said, her words as sharp as knives. Then she pushed right passed, bumping into Sasuke's shoulder in the process, nearly causing him to lose his footing. He turned back and watched her stalk off around the corner. He could hear muttering around him, but he couldn't care less. His thoughts trailed after her.

* * *

"_Seriously_, Sasuke! I think that you'd better ask a different girl out before it's too late!" Naruto said during gym. For the second day in a row, Sasuke was in the fitness room. It sure hadn't been easy, but Sasuke somehow managed to convince Ibiki that he was feeling under the weather again. And after a lot of yelling, he was sent here, proud that he'd successfully covered up for his sprained ankle again. Ibiki clearly believed that this would serve as a fitting punishment, but Sasuke thoroughly enjoyed it—seeing how Naruto and Shikamaru's class was in here too (with a clueless teacher, Gai).

"I-I don't think I have to give up on her yet. Did I not mention that yesterday?"

"Naruto's right, Sasuke. If you don't have a girlfriend by the end of today, we'll spill the beans. If you hold off any longer, you're obviously just trying to give your ankle a chance to heal fully and ruin the bet."

"But I'm _not_ doing this on purpose! Anyways, I still think I have a chance. We just need to find a way to settle her down… and come up with something convincing that will _prove _to her that I'm not secretly plotting against her."

"I say we tie her down and smack her until she believes you," Naruto suggested.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Sasuke chimed with a smile.

"_Sigh._ And you guys wonder why I get such better grades than you," Shikamaru said, scratching the back of his head. "_I'll_ make the plan." The other two coincided. "Ok. We know that Sakura will avoid you if you try to talk to her, right?" he asked Sasuke, who nodded, recalling their encounter in the hallway with distaste. "Then to solve that problem, you _won't _talk to her…yet. I'll talk to her first."

"What are you going to say?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Well, I'm going to stand up for you and tell her the truth, of course! I'll basically tell her that you meant every word you said yesterday, you hate your fangirls, and you aren't plotting something with Ino!"

"You do know that I _didn't _mean what I said yesterday," Sasuke added reproachfully.

"Yeah, yeah, but she can't know that. Meanwhile, Naruto, you'll be talking to Hinata."

"Score!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "Why?"

"By the looks of it, she is Sakura's best friend, so if _she _is convinced that Sasuke is telling the truth, she might be able to help us to convince _Sakura_ that he's telling the truth. Got it?"

Naruto stared in awe as the steps of the procedure dovetailed. "You're a genius, Shikamaru."

"I know I am. And lastly, Sasuke, you will be talking to Ino."

"What was that?" Sasuke asked with disbelief.

"You will be talking to Ino," Shikamaru repeated.

"Huh. There's no way in _hell_ that's going to happen."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Well, someone has to."

"_Alone?!_ If she tries anything stupid on me, I won't be able to escape with this ankle of mine! And then she'll know about it being sprained… and this whole bet will have been for nothing! What kind of plan _is _this?!" Sasuke asked, rising to his feet.

"It's a very good plan," was Shikamaru's curt reply, "because you _won't_ be alone. So all we have to do is find someone else to help us out, and I already have someone in mind."

Sasuke was half-relieved. Having someone to back him up (or beat her up) was a very consoling thought, but the terrible, incontrovertible fact that Ino would _not_ hesitate to glomp him was very unsettling. Sasuke also later regretted not asking _who_ this person would be sooner. He found out at the beginning of lunch, at the entrance to the cafeteria, just before the plan would take action.

"Sasuke, Neji Hyuga has agreed to help you to-"

"Neji Hyuga?" Sasuke interrupted, glowering at the new figure before him. Neji Hyuga, Hinata's cousin, was one year older than them, with long, straight brown hair and ominous, glowing eyes. Like Sasuke, he also had a horde of girls following him wherever he went, but his troubles never seemed to reach the level that Sasuke's did. Naturally, Sasuke considered him a worthy rival—not girl-wise—but in pretty much everything else: grades, sports and any other sort of competitive situation that he could muster up.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Neji said with a smirking expression very much like his own. "For once in my life, I'm glad to help you out."

Sasuke had absolutely no clue why, but he didn't care either so he didn't press the matter. "Alright," he said bluntly before turning to Shikamaru. "What are we going to do first?"

"Ok, I've formulated a final plan," Shikamaru said, bringing them in to a huddle, which did invite several stares from people trying to get _into _the cafeteria. "I thought ahead, and realized that if Naruto goes in first to talk the Hinata and _then_ I come in to talk to Sakura, there's a chance that Sakura will become suspicious. And Sasuke and Neji can't go anywhere near the cafeteria until I get Sakura out of there, so I decided that I should go first. Naruto can go in and talk to Hinata once Sakura and I leave, and lastly, Sasuke and Neji can go do the dirty work." Naruto and Neji laughed, but Sasuke scowled.

Without further ado, Shikamaru took action. He gracefully and silently walked over to Sakura's lunch table. She was sitting with a few other girls, deep in conversation with a particular two. Sasuke, Naruto and Neji watched Shikamaru politely ask, "Excuse me, Sakura, but seeing how you're in my math class and you know what you're doing, I was wondering if you could come to the library and help me sort out a few of my answers before next period." Now, Shikamaru was very well-known for his high academic standings, which would make anyone _honoured_ to help him if they could. As expected, Sakura accepted, but with this delighted smile that made the skin on Sasuke's neck and face prickle. For some reason, he was suddenly very angry with Shikamaru. But he shook it off. This was no time for light-headedness. This would probably be his one and only chance to convince Sakura before the end of the day.

Once they were gone, Naruto tottered into the cafeteria with his usual clumsy-but-cool stride, waving to random people who he just happened to know. Sasuke was slightly worried that he would forget his original purpose for being there. Thankfully, Naruto made his slow but sure bee-line towards that table. Then he flirtatiously asked Hinata, with that cute, stupidly-innocent face of his, "Is anyone sitting here?"

At first, her expression was very confused, worried even, but then her lips curved into a small smile and her face flushed to a light shade of pink. "Nope," she said, then giggling with her friends, watching Naruto out of the corner of her eye.

"Good," Sasuke said, very pleased with the results of Shikamaru's plan thus far. "Now we just have to find Ino."

"Sure," Neji said. "But just let me go say hi to someone."

Sasuke shot Neji an alarmed look. "Say _'hi'_ to someone? Why now?"

Neji returned a glare, but it was determined. "Actually, it's not just anyone. It's my girlfriend." Sasuke didn't see what difference it made, but hey. He was getting used to not understanding things. "Do you see the brunette sitting across from Hinata? That's her. Tenten. The two of them and Sakura are best friends."

Sasuke frowned. "How come you guys know so much more about them than I do?" he asked, more to himself than anyone else, but ended up receiving an answer anyways.

"Well, I sit with them everyday at lunch," Neji said.

"You do?" Sasuke asked, tilting his head to the side. He sure hadn't seen that coming.

"Yeah, I do. Now just wait here for a minute. While I'm there, I'll scan the cafeteria for Ino." Sasuke nodded and watched him retrace Naruto's footsteps to the table. He watched Neji tap Tenten on the shoulder, who in return flung her arms around his shoulders. His arms gently slipped around her waist and they continued to talk to each other from that position. Sasuke shook his head with disgust. He would much rather talk to someone's face, and hoped that if he ever _did_ end up dating Sakura Haruno, that she wouldn't make any public displays of affection. After giving Tenten a light peck on the cheek, Neji returned to the cafeteria entrance where Sasuke was waiting with an afflicted and irritated expression. "What?" Neji asked.

"That really wasn't necessary," he mumbled, motioning to Tenten with his head.

Neji rolled his eyes. "You'll understand when you and Sakura get together," he said with a trace of annoyance and authority. "When you love someone, everything changes."

Sasuke mimicked his tone. "Just in case you've forgotten, I'm not going to love her. I'm going to get these three weeks over with and dump her as soon as I can."

"That's too bad," Neji said with a shrug. "I mean, after about a month, most of my fangirls started to get the hint that I wasn't single anymore and they left me alone."

"It took them _that long_?"

"Well, yeah. Most of them are idiots so it takes them longer to understand the obvious. But yours could be smarter. You never know." He paused. "By the way, Ino wasn't in there. She must be in the halls somewhere."

"Let's go," Sasuke said and they started wandering, but Neji didn't drop their topic of conversation.

"Tenten is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me," Neji rolled on. "It feels so good to… I don't know. Have someone, I guess? _Sigh._ It's funny how I miss her and I only talked to her two minutes ago, huh? It's a strange side-effect that having a girlfriend has."

"Huh," Sasuke answered awkwardly, realizing that he had nothing to contribute to the conversation. Everything that Neji was saying was going in through one ear and out the other. Sasuke just wasn't getting it. All that he had learned from this conversation was that Neji _used_ to be such an interesting guy _before_ he fell in love. Right then and there, Sasuke decided that he never would.

* * *

"Oh, the library's closed!" Sakura said, reading a sign on the door. "That's too bad. Now what are we going to do about those math problems?"

"Y-yeah, that's too bad," Shikamaru said, rubbing his forehead. He was slightly disappointed that his brilliant plan wasn't going quite as planned. "But I still need to finish them, nonetheless. How about we wander the halls and find a table to work at?"

"Alright," she agreed. "But we'd better hurry. We only have fifteen minutes until class."

* * *

For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt a sense of extrication at the sight of Ino prowling around the halls (most likely looking for him). He was relieved that Neji would finally shut up, but this respite dissipated when he caught her eye. And then she made this pathetically girly scream and charged at him, arms flailing. Sasuke's first instinct was to take a step back and get into a defensive position, but Neji stepped between them at the nick of time—Ino crashing into his chest. She jumped back and blinked up at him for a moment before breaking out into a fit of stupid giggles with an innocent, little smile. "I don't think I've seen _you_ before," she cooed.

His quick response was, "I'm taken."

Her smile instantly dropped to an uninterested frown. "Oh," she said, piercing her lips and pushing him aside to approach Sasuke. "But _you_ aren't, right Sasuke?" she asked, her smile returning, and she stretched her arms out to wrap them around his neck.

He snatched both of her wrists with one of his hands fiercely. "Sorry to break the news, but I will be soon," he growled, throwing her arms down. "Which is what I'm here to talk about." Neji returned to his side and folded his arms.

Clearly Ino got the wrong idea. "Oooh, _what_ do you want to talk about? Do you want to ask me something…?" she asked, her face suddenly blazing red and her smile widening.

_What an idiot,_ Sasuke thought. "Yes I do," he said, also grinning. "Do you enjoy being a #$%? Because I would like you so much more if you weren't. Oh wait! One more thing: I want you to get the #$% out of my life." Ino was appalled and Sasuke was furious—so furious that he didn't notice the two new figures in the hall. He continued, "I don't see why you're so surprised! I've never been able to stand you!"

Ino's eyebrows furrowed. "So… basically you're saying… that you won't give me a chance?"

Sasuke slapped his forehead and glanced at Neji for support, but he didn't look like he was going to interject any time soon. "Listen Ino, that's not all I'm trying to say. It's just… I hate everything about you so _much_… and there's absolutely nothing that you can do to change that. The harder you try to impress me, the more I'll hate you. That's all there is to it."

The hall was dead silent for a moment before Sasuke exhaled heavily. "Man, does it ever feel good to get that off my chest," he said. "Since I first met you, that's exactly what I've been trying to tell you." He waited for her response.

"So… so you mean that… you're not asking me out?"

"NO!" he yelled. "You stupid blonde! All I wanted to ask you was to leave me alone for the rest of my life!"

"You don't like me?"

He felt his veins popping and was nearly certain that he'd blown a fuse in his brain. He felt Neji put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, so he took a few deep breaths before speaking in a low, calm voice. "I don't like you. I _hate_ you. And I'm not asking you out because… because I like…I like Sakura Haruno!"

The silence returned.

But this time… it was more pronounced—sinister even.

Because just then he realized…

…that Sakura Haruno was standing five feet away to his left beside Shikamaru.

Neji removed his hand, ever so slowly from Sasuke's shoulder. The tension increased with each passing second. Ino looked absolutely confounded and astonished. Perhaps the message had sunk through her thick skull? Sasuke realized that he no longer cared. Neji was pleased, Shikamaru was pleasantly surprised and Sakura's expression was unreadable. Sasuke felt his face prickle uncomfortably… so he spun on his heel and strode off in the opposite direction.

Down the hall and around the corner he went… until he was out of sight.

His mind was buzzing with so much uncertainty that everything became hazy and incoherent. His legs propelled him down the hall automatically, since his mind was elsewhere—or was it no where? He wasn't sure.

He extended his arm to grasp the metal handle of the double-doors leading to the stairs… but he was stopped in his tracks. Something different was now in his hand—something that looked very much like his own hand, only smaller. Attached to it was an arm, then a body… and a face. Sakura's face. And for some reason, his mind didn't register the information until she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Sasuke, I'm really sorry," she whispered, looking down at her feet. "I misjudged you and that wasn't fair."

"It's alright," he said awkwardly, hearing the words, but not understanding them. He was afraid to look at her, so his eyes darted down to his feet too. It was then he noticed that she was still holding his hand. He fought back the embarrassment. After all, the only reason that she was speaking to him was because of a bet, right? There were absolutely no emotions involved in a bet. It was that driving thought that awakened his sanity.

"I'm free on Friday."

His sanity was suddenly lost. "What?" he spluttered.

"O-on Friday," she repeated. For the first time in this encounter, he looked directly into her eyes. He spotted nervousness in her expression that he could sympathize with, and for some reason, he found that extremely consoling. They reminded him of sparkling emeralds. "If you still mean what you said yesterday… We could go see a movie or something Friday evening. You know, to make up for… well… my stupidity."

"Oh," he said. "Um… that's fine with me."

Her face was really red. "I'll give you my number… so you can call me about the movie times. Ok?"

"Sure. I'll give you mine too."

She let go of his hand and scribbled her number down onto a ripped corner of a page, and he did the same. Then she flashed him a smile and went on ahead of him down the stairs, leaving him to stare at her until she was completely hidden from view.

He wasn't afraid of Sakura Haruno.

No, she really seemed quite harmless.

But he was afraid of something else.

Something he had said earlier.

_"I'm not asking you out because… because I like…I like Sakura Haruno!"_

He was afraid of those words…

…because he meant them.

* * *

**Chapter 3 Reviewers:**

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THANK YOU ALL! (L)

* * *

**-Chapter 5: Words of Wisdom-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	5. Words of Wisdom

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Juliet_- LMNT (Alternative / Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 5-**

**Words of Wisdom**

**_________________**

"You said _what_?!" Tenten hollered, utterly revolted at the news she had just learned. "Are you nuts?!"

"I'm not nuts," was Sakura's rebut. "And yes, I said _yes_! What's wrong with that?!"

Tenten glanced at Hinata for support, but she didn't even seem fazed by the matter. Hinata was perched on the velvety midnight-blue armchair in Tenten's living room, taking small, careful sips of her tea. Sakura was on a matching couch, holding a small pillow, and Tenten was crouched in front of Sakura. The three of them had literally sprinted here right when the school bell rang at the end of the day. This was because Sakura wouldn't tell the other two about what had happened at lunch until they arrived here, and typically, Tenten and Hinata were really eager to know.

"Ok look, I had it wrong from the start," Sakura began. "So it turns out that… he actually likes me."

"How do you know?"

Sakura explained her whole lunch experience in detail: from Sasuke's battle with Ino right up until Sakura apologized to him in front of the double doors and arranged Friday night's movie. "So I guess that it's not a real date… because, well, it's more of a way to repay him."

Tenten raised her eyebrows. "So what you mean is that it's a _fake_ date?" Sakura stared at her blankly until she grinned. "Oh come on! A date's a date. You can't weed yourself out of that. I'm so glad for you!" Sakura returned the grin and chuckled. "This reminds me so much of when I first met Neji! He was almost as much of a stuck-up jerk as Sasuke is, but then he started warming up to me—and he turned out to actually be really sweet!"

Sakura shrugged. "I have a feeling that it won't be that easy. I think that it'll be kind of awkward on Friday. I mean, I've never really talked to him before!"

"Well that makes it better! It means he'll have more to share! But here's a word of advice: cold, cranky guys like that don't tend to like it when other people try to pry right into their personal life. Just ask him simple, general questions. Save the big ones for later," Tenten said.

Sakura sighed. "Man, do I ever have a lot to worry about now… I bet I'll just blank out in the end. And what do I wear, anyways?!"

Hinata finally piped up. "Leave that to us," she said with a smile.

"Alright then," Sakura said, feeling edgy. She didn't want to take _too_ much time on her appearance… but she definitely couldn't go underdressed… "Grr, he'd better not be expecting much from me," she concluded, squeezing the pillow. "I'm definitely not planning to do anything but talk with him right now, and if he tries otherwise, I'll sock 'em."

"You said it, girl!" Tenten exclaimed with a whoop. "_He's_ the one who asked you out, _he's_ the one who likes you, and therefore, _he's_ the one who's got to try to impress you and win you over!"

_It's… just like a game or something,_ Sakura thought with a smirk. _Ha, Tenten is so right about this, too! _I'm _not the one who should be worried—he's the one who has to impress me! Who would have thought that The Great Sasuke Uchiha would ever have to fight to win _my_ attention?! _

Hinata changed the subject. "Oh yeah, I talked to Naruto Uzumaki at lunch."

"Ooh, what about?" Sakura asked immediately, glad that the topic was being reverted to something less stressful.

"This is good," Tenten whispered to Sakura before Hinata began.

Hinata placed her tea cup down on the coffee table, flushing at Sakura's response. "W-well—"

"Ah! What did we say about stuttering?!" Tenten scolded.

"Sorry. Well, first he asked to sit down next to me… and I agreed of course." Her face was practically glowing pink. Sakura and Tenten _OOOHH-ed_, and then she continued. "And he started to talk to me. And… he asked a bunch of random questions. Like what my favourite food was, my favourite colour, my favourite subject, my favourite hobby, my favourite pickle brand-" At this, Sakura rolled her eyes. Leave it to Naruto to ruin the moment. Hinata sighed. "I don't know why it made me feel so happy! It was just a bunch of simple questions! But I guess… no guy has ever talked to me like that before; he seemed really interested to hear my answers… and that was nice!"

Sakura sighed and smiled. "That's _so_ like Naruto. But… that's also really cute! If someone would ask me random questions like that, just knowing that they're actually interested in what I have to say is… sweet."

"I wonder why he started talking to you like that, though," Tenten thought aloud. "You've hardly talked before… Do you think he likes you?"

Hinata shrugged, a profound blush creeping across her face. "I-I'm not too sure. But I w-wouldn't mind if he did…" Sakura and Tenten exchanged smirks and Hinata whacked them with pillows. "Hey! Don't act like I'm not here!" she said, whacking them once more for good measure, the three of them choking through fits of laughter. "Oh, wait! He did talk about one more thing! He told me that he's best friends with Sasuke."

Sakura groaned internally. She had been sure that he'd been dropped from the conversation. But still, her eyes widened and her skin tingled with anticipation when Hinata said his name.

"He also told me that Sasuke likes you and won't shut up about you."

This information wasn't totally new to her, but Sakura just couldn't stop her face from reddening. "It's funny, huh?" she said quietly. "Why the heck would he like _me_ of all people? I'm just… regular! Don't people like him usually chase after those stupid girls who sell themselves? I just don't get it."

"I think that this just means he has good taste," Tenten said with a sincere smile, "for choosing someone like you." Sakura gave her a spine-snapping hug. "Ow! And maybe he just wants a decent girl who he can stay with for a long time or something? He could be looking for a steady relationship. Maybe his last girlfriend was a #$% and something bad happened?"

For some reason, Sakura suddenly felt uncomfortable. _Last _girlfriend? That's right, this almost definitely wouldn't be Sasuke's first date, so he'd be all experienced and calm… and this _would_ be _her _first. She would probably have a heart attack. Her confidence began to drain.

"Just don't forget what you said before: Don't let him try anything on you Friday. Don't let him treat you like a #$% because remember, you're the one whose got to be in control. Got it?"

"Right."

* * *

"Shut up you, stupid little #$%!!" Sasuke finally hollered, pushing Naruto into a pile of dirt. He and Shikamaru continued walking down the sidewalk, which bordered a crammed and busy road that was supporting more cars than it was built for. They were honking, tires were screeching and skidding, drivers were cussing and Naruto was wailing in the dirt behind them.

"Get back here!" he called after him, but Sasuke ignored it. He and Shikamaru turned onto a path that weaved through a park, not slowing at all. If anything, their pace quickened. The atmosphere began to ease up once they were on a quiet path in the shelter of the looming trees, but Sasuke continued to fume.

"I can't stand Naruto sometimes," he muttered, hands shoved in his pockets, brows furrowed and a scowl plastered under his nose.

Shikamaru folded his arms. "Yeah, we all can't every once and awhile. But you really need to ease up a bit. You're much too sensitive."

Sasuke's frown deepened. "I'm _not_ sensitive. I'm just angry! I mean, why the #$% did Naruto have to write _Sakura Haruno's Boyfriend _on my locker, my binders, my pencil case, and pretty much everything else that his permanent marker would show up on! If Sakura sees that, she'll think that I'm some sort of stalker!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. His intentions weren't bad," Shikamaru said. Sasuke shot him an inquisitive glare so he continued. "He thought it would kick-start your relationship."

"What?"

"He thought that it would be a way to let everyone know that you guys are together."

"Well, I _don't _want everyone to know we're together! And we haven't even gone on a date or anything! I'm not her boyfriend! If Naruto doesn't buy me new school supplies and scrub my locker before tomorrow, I'll punt that sorry little #$% of his out of the country," Sasuke growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Whoa, cool it! I understand that Naruto shouldn't have done that, but he still had the right idea. You've got to show her that you're completely devoted to her from now right up until your first date. You have to somehow sink the message through her head that she would be crazy to leave you. But don't be too bold. Remember, this is going to be all about her because, after all, you asked _her _out and therefore, _you_ have to make a good impression. Show her what you're all about."

"W-what do you mean?" Sasuke asked slowly, his mind buzzing. This would be much harder than he had anticipated.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow. "I should probably break it down for you. You don't want to set off on your first date totally clueless."

_Clueless,_ Sasuke repeated in his mind. His ego didn't quite approve of the word, but nonetheless, he listened attentively.

"Ok. On Friday, I'm definitely not expecting you to make a big move or anything like that. You can't scare her. There've been many cases where the guy tries to move to the next level at too quick a pace, which in effect, leads to the girl feeling uncomfortable and wanting to end the relationship."

"Don't worry about that," Sasuke said. "I'm not planning on doing anything."

Shikamaru sighed. "That is exactly what I expected you to say. Not doing _anything_ is almost worse than doing nothing. You _have_ to woo her. You have to go in there on Friday and give her a taste of your world, and show her that she should want to be a part of it. But don't be cocky or overconfident. Give her time and a bit of space—but not too much space—and you most definitely can't force her into wanting to be with you. You've got to be cool and composed, and act like you know what you're doing. That way, she'll be able to open up to you with less tension. Just act like you're having a good time, and she will too."

Sasuke was very silent.

"H-how am I supposed to have a good time when I have to remember all of that?"

Shikamaru chuckled. "It's easy, really. All you have to do is be yourself!"

"That most definitely does _not_ sound like being myself! I… I don't think I can do this."

"What, are you chicken?" asked Naruto, who had finally managed to find his way out of the pile of dirt and catch up with them. Sasuke chose not to answer.

"And… What do you mean by "woo" her? What should I do?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru quietly, but unfortunately, Naruto eavesdropped.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let me answer this one!" he said excitedly, raising his hand in the air and jumping up and down. "Ok, first you have to talk to her like she's a normal friend, just so she's not too nervous. Then you have to offer to buy her tickets and snacks. If she refuses, buy them anyways. Once you're really comfortable with her, you can hold her hand or put your arm around her. Make sure you pick a horror movie so you can comfort her if she's scared. When you're watching it, you have you let her lean on your shoulder or snuggle you or whatever. If she doesn't, that just means she's shy and you have to put your arm around her or snuggle her first. When the movie's done, you can give her a hug, then later you can make-out, and then you can take her home and then-"

Sasuke interrupted by pushing him into a puddle.

Then he turned back to Shikamaru. "Now can _you_ tell me the real way to do this?"

"Actually, Naruto's answer was accurate."

Sasuke's jaw dropped.

"Well, at least, most of it. Right up to the 'hugging' part was correct I think. You shouldn't kiss her on the first date or else you might end up with a black eye."

Sasuke still looked unconvinced. "So even if she refuses, I still have to buy her everything?"

"Yeah, but don't intimidate her. If she is persistent on buying her ticket, let her buy it, but still offer to buy the snacks."

"Ok."

Shortly afterwards, Sasuke had to go down a separate path to reach his house. His friends bid him farewell.

"See you tomorrow."

"Bye, bye duck-butt!"  
He replied with a grunt and went on his way with a racing mind.

* * *

Once he arrived home, he finished his homework, had a quick, quiet supper, and then took refuge in his bedroom. He absent-mindedly pulled out the newspaper and scanned the list of featured movies. It then struck him that he hadn't yet confirmed the movie time with Sakura. Should he do it right away? Or would that make him sound like a stalker? But if he waited, she might think that he didn't care (well, that would be technically correct, but…).

He reached into his pocket and pulled a little scrap piece of paper with Sakura Haruno's number scrawled in the center. Her writing was loopy—"_girlie_", Sasuke thought. He reached for the portable phone, fingers quivering. He was downright nervous. He wasn't sure exactly why either. Perhaps he was scared to hear her reaction? Or was it the whole situation that he wasn't comfortable with?

He paused. This was stupid. He was trembling over a phone call and yet he called himself an Uchiha? No. That didn't make any sense. Not giving his mind any other opportunities to interfere with his actions, he punched in the numbers and placed the phone to his ear.

_Ring…_

_Ring…_

_R-_

_"Hello?"_ said a voice on the other line. It was a woman, but it wasn't Sakura.

"Uh… is Sakura Haruno there?" he asked.

_"Who is this?"_ the voice asked sharply.

"I'm one of her classmates," he said, not wanting to be too specific. He was unsure whether Sakura had told her family about him yet.

_"Which classmate?"_

Sasuke frowned. "I'm Sasuke. I'm in her math class."

The receiver paused for a moment. _"Ok then, I'll go get her." _He then heard the phone being placed onto a table or counter and the receiver's voice in the distance calling, _"Saaakuuraaaa! The phone's for you! It's Sasuke from your math class! He's calling about homework!"_

Sasuke rolled his eyes. This was one of the reasons why he didn't mind living alone. A few moments later, he could hear footsteps pounding down a staircase, the phone being fumbled with and a new voice saying, _"Hello?"_

"Hi, it's Sasuke."

_"I know, just one sec," _she whispered. Sasuke pressed his phone harder into his ear to catch each word. Suddenly her voice changed to a much louder, happy tone. _"Oh, I did finish that worksheet, Sasuke! Here, I've just got to go up to my room and grab it so I can give you the questions."_ He heard feet pounding on the staircase again, although this time it sounded much clearer, so he assumed that Sakura was bringing the phone with her. He then heard a door slamming shut and Sakura exhaling with relief. _"Sorry about that. My mom watches me like a hawk."_

"It's ok."

_"Are you calling about the movie times?" _

"Yeah."

_"I was about to call you about them too… So which one would you like to see?"_

"Well I… I was going to ask you that."

He heard her laugh. _"Oh, ok then! It doesn't matter to me! I'll watch anything! What kinds of movies do you like the best?"_

He was surprised at her response. "Uh, I'll watch anything too, to be honest." But it was then that he had remembered Naruto's previous words. "I read that there was a good horror movie that just came out. It got 4 stars or something."

Her laughter was suddenly false. _"I see… That, um, sounds good! What time is it playing at?"_

"You don't sound too excited about it. We don't have to see a horror movie."

_"No, it's fine. It's just, I get frightened really easily. But that's ok! Don't worry about it. Do you like horror movies?"_

"I don't mind them. But we could still see something else if you want to."

_"That's ok! What time is it playing?"_

"At the closest theatre, it's playing at 5:30pm, 8pm and 10:30pm. Should we go to the 8 o'clock one?"

_"That sounds perfect! I'll just have to ask my mom if I have any plans. I don't want to tell her about…well…us yet, so I'll just say that I'm going out with some friends. Ok?"_

"That's fine. See you tomorrow."

_"Bye, Sasuke!"_

And then they both hung up the phone—both with hearts pounding and both bearing smiles of relief and pleasure. So far, so good.

* * *

**Chapter 4 Reviewers:**

_ToraHimeSama, NekoDoodle, experiment15, Mininirri, sasusaku779, Emma0707, SCB2011, kt., alayneni, Geanie-chan101, ForeverAnimeLover, Angel's Archer, AkaiYuki13, Angel Dying Red, FallenxEmoxAngel, jesselovemeto, Here'sMeBeingSilly_

I LOVE YOU GUYS! :D

* * *

**-Chapter 6: Contrasting Colours-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	6. Contrasting Colours

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Everywhere_- Michelle Branch (Inspirational / Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 6-**

**Contrasting Colours**

**_________________**

The remaining few days in the school week whizzed by until current time caught up with the designated day: Friday. Friday, Friday, Friday. The longest day in the history of human existence, according to a particular pair of high school students who had a date planned for 8:00pm. All of the classes seemed longer, repetitive and much less interesting than usual. The only thrill felt throughout that excruciatingly boring day was at the end of each period, when they'd both realize that they were an hour and a half closer to 8 o'clock (actually, Sasuke confirmed that he would be meeting her in front of the school at 7:15, and from there, they'd walk to the theatre. He had originally offered to walk to her house, but Sakura argued that it would be a dead giveaway to her mother that something was going on). Sasuke and Sakura hadn't really talked to each other since their phone conversation. Firstly, they both wanted to avoid any possible awkward moments, and secondly, they didn't want the rest of the school to be given the opportunity to spread rumours about them. Of course, they hadn't told each other this, so they spent most of their time worrying about how the other would react to being ignored. But coincidentally and fortunately, they were both feeling the same way.

The two of them were anticipating the date with a different attitude. Sakura was feeling a combination of mingled excitement and fright. Sasuke, on the other hand, told himself that he just wanted to get it all over with. Once he was through with this date, he would be one step closer to being able to end the relationship and forget that any of this had ever happened. He was also a little confused. Being the daring adventure-seeker he was, he couldn't deny that this whole experience could be interesting. He had never once considered actually _going out_ with a girl, but now he _had_ to consider it because he _was_. There was no turning back.

* * *

"Girls, you really don't have to-,"

"No, no! We're doing this because we want to!"

"That's r-right, Sakura! We want you to be in perfect condition for your big night!"

The three girls were currently in Sakura's bedroom, Sakura sitting on the bed in sweats and a tank top, with Hinata perched in front of her, enhancing her facial features with make-up, and Tenten was rummaging through her drawers, scrounging for a suitable outfit. "Do you want to wear these?" Tenten asked, pulling out a pair of short-shorts.

"Definitely not!" Sakura snapped. "I don't want to look like a stripper! I'd only wear those if I was going to the beach. Besides, it's supposed to get a bit chilly by late evening."

"Ok, ok," Tenten said with a sigh. "Do you want to wear a skirt?"

"No, I'll probably freeze."

Tenten put a hand on her hip. "Well then, what will you wear? Snow-pants?"

Sakura shrugged. "I was thinking I could just wear a pair of jeans," she said, rolling her eyes.

Tenten paused, and carefully scrutinized the shirt she was holding. "I know for a fact that you're going to wear this shirt, because you have a matching necklace and Hinata has matching eye shadow… Hmm, yeah I think a nice pair of dark jeans would go really nicely with it. Do you have a pair of dark jeans?"

"Actually I do," Sakura said with a smile. "And I only got them a couple weeks ago. They're in the bottom shelf of my closet."

"Perfect!"

The shirt Sakura was going to wear was a silk, deep purple long sleeve, with an embroidered green and white floral pattern down the arms and curved up her torso. It had a square-necked collar, bordered in a forest-green ribbon, and a matching ribbon tied around her upper waist—just beneath the bosom-area. The fabric beneath the ribbon at her waist draped down like a short dress. It was one of those dexterous articles of clothing that hovered on the brink of formality, and depending on how it was accessorized, it could also be worn for casual events too. And Sakura couldn't avoid that it would be perfect for this event in particular.

And finally, half an hour later, Sakura was ready. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans—not quite skinny jeans, but not 80s bell-bottoms either—and she had on her matching necklace (a thin, silver chain with a purple and green jewelled flower hanging in the center), with her traditional hair style, accept that the headband was a forest green to match the ribbons on her shirt, and her bangs were parted on the side. Hinata had applied her make-up with the hand of a professional. Her eyes were lightly bordered with lines of dark eye-liner, which gradually blended into forest green eye-shadow, which crept up her lids until it reached the light purple shade, and finished with a hint of white. Her lashes had been emphasized with Hinata's suave, even strokes with a mascara wand. Her lips were coated in gentle, glossy layers, and her cheeks were tinted ever-so-slightly pink.

To sum it up, she looked and felt pretty good.

"Ta da!" Hinata exclaimed, clapping her hands together and tucking them under her chin as Sakura gaped at herself in the mirror for a full 30 seconds.

"Alright! It's time for you to knock Sasuke's socks off!" Tenten grinned, pumping her fist into the air. "Oh, and look at the time! It's seven o'clock, and you arranged to meet him in fifteen minutes. We're right on schedule!"

"Right," Sakura said, smiling with bubbly anxiety, and rooting through her closet for her black sandals. They had a small heel and a silver-pendant on the buckle. Lastly, she shoved a few dollars into her purse (along with her lip-gloss and cell phone), and started towards the door.

"Remember Sakura: Make sure that _he_ does the impressing!" Tenten called after her.

Sakura paused. "You mean I should play 'hard to get' or something?"

Tenten considered this. "I guess you could. But don't play it _too_ hard or even _he_ will be too shy or uncomfortable to open up with you."

"Got it," she answered, trying to sound reassuring, but deep down inside, she wasn't feeling any better.

After sparing each of her friends a quick hug, she dashed out the door and headed off towards the school.

* * *

Sasuke's heart rate finally began to ease up. Shikamaru encouraged him, constantly repeating, "How bad could it be?" and "It'll be over before you know it."

Those words finally began to settle into his brain until Naruto said, along with a rumbling, R-rolling purr and slow, dramatic clawing, "Go get 'er tiger! Prrrrr!" This earned him a clout in the noggin, which would probably remove his sanity for the rest of the evening. He glanced at himself in the mirror for barely a second—half wondered whether he looked decent enough—but after checking his watch, he realized that however he looked now would just have to do. He raced off to the school.

Meanwhile, Sakura had just arrived, unsure of _where_ exactly she should be meeting him. Should she wait by the side entrance, where Sasuke had told her to meet him in a previous encounter? Or should she wait by the front entrance? The front seemed like the most logical answer, but her final decision continued to waver because there were small clusters of other kids loitering around that area. It's not like she had a problem with that or anything… She was just uncomfortable with the fact that she'd be sitting there all by herself like some loser.

So despite her weariness, she plopped herself down on a little bench that faced the walkway to the front doors of the massive building. Off to the side, near the parking lot was a group of smokers, all wearing dark colours, with hoods up. Their presences were chillingly distant and they were surrounded with a dark, looming, smoky-smelling aura. Sakura shuddered and made a mental-note that she would make a break for it if they drifted any nearer. There was a group of gangsters close to the door—too far away for Sakura to determine what they were doing. Two other small groups were waiting out by the road-side, probably waiting for a ride or something along those lines. In the center of the walk-way was a group of preppy girls, wearing outfits that reminded her of Ino, who were all bunched together along with a few boys (who weren't really saying anything—they just stood around, with dumbly pleased expressions, laughing at everything the girls said). It was kind of pathetic how all of those girls would just compete with each other, trying to prove that they were the hottest, stupidest slut of them all, thinking that it would get them the best guy. Sakura sort of felt sorry for them, because being a slut won't get anyone very far in life in the long-run.

It was just then that one of them looked her way.

Sakura immediately snapped her head back around to look at the road- pretending to be waiting to be picked up too, but out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw that girl whisper something to the one next to her. Being the self-conscious person she was, Sakura immediately assumed that they must be talking about her, and began to feel tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. It was then that she remembered that she should be doing something to busy herself, or at least, make herself _look_ busy. So she took out her little tube of lip-gloss, put it on, checked her watch (it was 7:20! Sasuke was 5 minutes late!), took out her cell-phone, pretended to be doing something with it, checked her watch again… And now it was 7:22. Sasuke was 7 minutes late. Sakura's mind began to race through the horrible, possible reasons as to _why_ he could be this late. Was he in trouble at home? Did he get hurt (after all, she'd once seen him limping)? Did he decide that this date wasn't important enough for him to have to show up on time? Could he be a player, and already _be_ on a date, completely forgetting about this one…?

She sighed, and right before she was about to believe herself, there he was.

She could see him gliding down the walk-way with slow, easy, relaxed strides, his eyes gleaming, and his hair slightly windblown. He looked like a model. His attire consisted of a pair of medium-dark blue jeans, a T-shirt and a black sport-jacket overtop. He was stunning. Positively stunning. Sakura couldn't help but gape for several long seconds (or were those minutes?) as she watched him steadily draw nearer and nearer… and she found it very hard to imagine that _he_ was her date. The crowd of preps suddenly broke into wildly urgent and excited chatter, several of the girls turning to glance at him (or stare at him), and some even pointed or squealed. Some of the gangsters studied him—almost as if they were squaring him up, and the smokers began to shrink back, like they were avoiding or dodging Sasuke in some way. The groups by the road glanced over their shoulders.

At that moment, something sparked in Sakura's heart.

And that spark kindled a flame.

Because just then, all of Sakura's previous worries had diminished and were replaced with a warm, gleeful, blazing sensation, her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest and her stomach doing back-flips.

His eyes met hers… and he smiled a gentle, welcoming smile. Sakura could have sworn that the little flame in her heart had set it on fire, which soon spread across her skin, burning it red. But nonetheless, she stood up and returned it, while securing her purse over her shoulder.

He continued walking until he was only a few paces in front of her—holding his smile—then paused, his expression changing, and said, "I'm late," somewhat flatly, but Sakura caught a note of apology and was satisfied.

She decided to play with him a little. "I know," she answered, attempting to mimic his flat tone.

He looked at the ground, defeated, and sighed. "I'm really sorry." Sasuke mentally decided that he wouldn't even bother telling her why, because he didn't have a very good reason (Shikamaru and Naruto just held him up at the door on the way out).

All of Sakura's assumptions suddenly sounded ridiculous. She convinced herself that she was able to trust him. "Don't worry about it," she said, still smiling brightly and encouragingly. "I think I was just a bit early."

He glanced up at her again, this time smirking. "No you weren't… But thank you for waiting." "No problem." And from here, they began their walk. By now, the roads had cleared, and the weather had cooled slightly. The sidewalks were bordered with parks and brush, the grass blades and tree leaves wriggling in the cool breeze. As they continued walking, an awkward silence began to grow.

Sakura quickly attempted to break it. "So…," she said, not quite sure where she was going with this sentence. "Um… well, … no offence, but I don't really know you that well. Er… I mean, of course I know you… but I don't _actually know_ you. You know?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Eheh-heh…I'm not good at explaining these sorts of things… Ok, um, I just think we should get to know each other _more_. I-is that alright with you?"

"Sure," he replied, restraining laughter. "What do you have in mind?"

"Hmm… Twenty Questions?"

He nodded. "Sounds good. Do you want to go first?"

"Ok," she said. She took a deep breath and turned to face him, still walking. He faced her too, so she quickly turned back, hiding the new shade on her cheeks. She asked him the first thing that came to mind. "Does your hair stick out like that naturally?"

He stared at her—long and hard—then he turned away a little, and broke into quiet laughter.

"What?" she asked.

"No one's ever asked me that before, not even Naruto! I was just surprised, that's all. Ok, for your answer… Yes. It does. Well, sort of. Sometimes it sticks out everywhere, but I just brush it back into place and spray it or gel it."

It was Sakura's turn to laugh.

"Hey, hey! Don't take this the wrong way! I'm not gay or anything! I just don't want to _look_ like Naruto!"

She wiped her eyes, still chuckling. "Oh, I know you aren't. I guess that just struck me funny. Your turn."

"Ah," was his curt reply. He paused for a couple of seconds, thinking. He turned to look at her—searching for an answer to his problem in her expression. She pretended she hadn't noticed. "Ok, I've got one. How long did it take you to get ready for tonight?"

She shrugged. "Good question. Um… maybe an hour… and a half? Two hours? Something like that."

"Wow," he said in awe, eyebrows raised. "What the heck do you do in two whole hours?"

"Girl stuff," she answered with a grin. "You should know that girls take twice as long to do everything."

"True," he replied, nodding. "Well uh… whatever you did, it paid off." Catching himself, he snapped his lips together and stared at the ground. But then he remembered that he _shouldn't_ be so embarrassed. It was only a bet… and compliments were good.

"Th-thanks…," she answered, beet-red. She made a mental note to thank Hinata and Tenten for their help later. She decided to ease the tension and ask something random. "My turn. Mm… let's see… Do you sing in the shower?"

Their eyes met. They both grinned, which soon proceeded into more laughter.

"Where the #$% do you get these questions?!" Sasuke gasped.

"I have no idea. Just answer it."

"Ok. Hmm, do I sing in the shower? …I know I used to… And I still do sometimes… Alright, yes. Sometimes I do sing in the shower."

"What songs?"

"You don't want to know."

She shook her head and chuckled. "I probably don't. Your turn."

"I've got one: If you could have anything in the world at this very second, what would it be?"

She answered immediately and very seriously. "Oh, that's easy. I'd have a bag of Gummy Bears."  
"You know something? In a way, you _remind_ me of Naruto."

She shot him a reproachful glare. "Meaning…?"

He smiled. "Oh, not in a bad way. It's just, you're easy to talk to. You're not that intimidating."

"That's cause I'm not trying."

"Yeah, I guess. Ok, your turn."

Sakura stopped to think. This one was going to be a good one, she was positive. By now, they were at least three-quarters of the way there, and she doubted that they'd continue their game once they were inside… so she had to ask the best questions while she had the chance. One particular question popped up, and it became too interesting to put aside. "Alright, I've got a _really_ good one," said Sakura with a devious smile. "Here we go: Are you… _ticklish_?

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, more surprised than he'd been thus far. "Why do you ask?" was his answer, but still with a smirk.

She shook her head. "I have no clue why. I guess I'm just curious. So, _are_ you?"

"Hm. I don't think I'm ticklish."

Sakura frowned. "Mind if I test it out myself?" she asked, but not giving Sasuke a chance to respond. Right after she asked it, she reached out and gently tickled the side of his neck. He didn't even flinch. "Wow, you're right. You aren't ticklish at all."

"Are you?"

"Yep." And without further ado (and without warning), Sasuke mimicked her previous actions and gently brushed the side of her neck with his fingertips. She jerked back so suddenly that her foot caught the edge of the sidewalk, making her lose her balance, topple sideways, and… Sasuke reacted quickly. He slipped one arm around her back, across her shoulder-blades to steady her. Once she had regained her balance, Sasuke removed his arm. "Thanks," she muttered, embarrassed.

"No, no. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were _that_ ticklish."

"Well now you know. Oh, and by the way, is something wrong with your foot?"

"Eh?"

"It's just, you seem to be limping, and it twisted a bit awkwardly while you were catching me."

"Yeah, I have a badly sprained ankle," he said, deciding that he might as well tell her the whole story. So he did (only omitting the fact that his wrestling partner had been the slowest, densest guy in the class, and the part about a certain bet he'd made with Shikamaru and Naruto over the issue). "Just don't tell my fangirls. They'd lose it if they found out."

"I understand," she said with a smile. "How are you treating it?"

"I'm wearing a tenser-bandage right now and I've got an air-cast that I wear at home if it hurts too much."

"Gee, I'm sorry to hear that. Ankle injuries, sprains in particular, are absolutely brutal. I mean, you're standing on your feet all day so it's hard to give them time to recover. I know how you feel. I sprained mine four years ago."

Sasuke watched her speak with amazement. He'd never met a person quite like her before. A person so kind and empathetic. And she was so… different. Naruto and Shikamaru weren't _nearly_ as comforting and understanding as she was. For instance, their reaction to his foot injury was quite a contrast to hers. "How'd you do it?"

"Oh, it was a sport injury too. I rolled over it while changing direction. Ugh, I can remember it clearly now. Sometimes it throbbed suddenly or just gave way unexpectedly. It was so annoyingly painful! If you need any help with walking or anything, don't hesitate to ask for help."

"I won't. Thank you." He paused. "It's my turn to ask you a question."

"Whoops! I got side-tracked. Ask away."

Sakura half-expected him to contribute to the serious note in their conversation until he said, "What's your favourite colour?"

"Ha! And you call _me_ random!" He shrugged. "My favourites are pink and green."

"Of the two, do you have a preference?"

"Nope. I only like them when they're together."

"Why?"

"Why?" she repeated, mentally arranging the words for her response. "What I mean is that, for example, I find that pink looks almost _harsh_ on its own. In ways, I find that the colour is sort of… isolated. And stereotyped It's classified as feminine and fragile. It's the same with green—which is associated with nature. I don't know, I guess they just balance each other out to make something better. Just like brightness and darkness. Both of them are kind of harsh by themselves. Same with hot and cold. Rich, which leads to greed, and poor. Excessive enthusiasm and a lack of emotion. When they're apart, both sides have the potential to be unpleasant. They seem like contrasting colours; bubbly pink and passive green, but if they're balanced just right, the effect is very nice. Both of them sort of need each other. Heh, sorry for rambling on. Does it make any sense?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly.

"Oh good. I wasn't too sure where I was going with that!" she laughed.

He turned to her with a small smile. "Are you sure that's why you like them? Or is it because those are the colours of your hair and eyes?"

She shrugged, also smiling. "That's probably true too. But I still believe in the contrasting colours theory. And that opposites attract."

"Huh."

He could not deny that a few phrases from Sakura's explanation really stuck with him. _Balance each other out to make something better…The effect is very nice… Both of them sort of need each other… Contrasting colours… Opposites attract. Light and dark. Hot and cold._

His mind made an automatic connection.

_You and me._

* * *

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* * *

**-Chapter 7: The Date-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	7. The Date

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Amazing_- Janelle (Inspirational)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 7-**

** The Date**

**_________________**

They arrived at the theatre with twenty minutes to spare—a considerable about of time for their ticket and snack purchases. No further questions had been asked since Sasuke's third, because the game had somehow etiolated from their minds now that they were _here._ This was it. This was the date. For some reason, the atmosphere shifted when they entered the theatre. It's not like there was anything to be afraid of here—they'd been countless numbers of times—only they'd never been with each other. But they weren't afraid of each other either. Or were they?

They got in the line for the tickets, and it was only then that Sakura remembered they were going to be seeing a horror movie. Her stomach clenched and she began to panic. But Sasuke wanted to see it… so she decided that this one little sacrifice wouldn't be the end of the world for her. She'd just have to grin and bear it. Or scream and bear it.

The line was fairly long, so in attempt to ease the tension, Sakura offered that they continue playing the 20 questions game. Sasuke agreed and they both reached question 10 (after asking _normal_ questions like favourite meal, favourite sport, favourite subject, biggest enemy [Sakura's was Ino and Sasuke listed twelve], favourite music, favourite holiday, favourite place, and other questions along those lines). Shortly afterwards, it was their turn to pay for tickets.

Sasuke quickly stepped ahead and asked for two. He flipped through the bills in his wallet, but Sakura beat him and slapped her own money down on the counter. "I've been saving up for this," she said immediately—almost threateningly.

Sasuke frowned. He wasn't about to admit that he was filthy rich, even though he was, because he had inherited all of his family's money. But he most definitely wouldn't let her pay either. "Wait, Sakura. I want to pay," he said, shoving her money back into her hands.

"No but I-"

"Listen: I picked the movie we're seeing, so I'll pay for us to see it. Ok?"

Sakura placed her money back down onto the counter. "But at least let me pay for myself." Sasuke didn't want to put too much pressure on her or cause her guilt, so he agreed. Next they climbed a twisted staircase to where the snack lines were. "I think we should get our seats before the theatre starts filling up," Sakura suggested, and they did. It wasn't too full, so they managed to get decent seats; about three-quarters of the way back and relatively in the middle. They both took off their jackets and draped them across the back of their seats.

"So now what?" Sakura asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have my cell phone in my coat pocket and this place is filling up, so I think I'll stay here and save our seats."

Sasuke shrugged. "That's fine. I'm just going to go use the washroom. Do you want me to grab you anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Alright." And with that, he left Sakura to her anxious thoughts. She was a little nervous about the movie itself because, after all, she'd never actually seen a horror movie on the silver screen, and the ones she'd seen at sleepovers scared her to bits.

Meanwhile Sasuke, who really didn't have to use the washroom, was standing in the snack line, peering over heads to catch glimpses of the treat menu. Once it was his turn, unfortunately he wasn't exactly prepared to expect the unexpected. "Hi, I'd like to get a—what the #$%?! Why are _you_ here?"

"Oh, Sasuke Uchiha! My long-time, worthy rival! What's up?" asked Rock Lee, one of the strangest kids in school (with a shiny mop of black hair, bushy eyebrows and jumpsuit of green spandex), who just so happened to be standing behind the counter.

"Wait, you work here?" Sasuke asked, flabbergasted. "Since when?"

Lee grinned. "Oh, I'd say about two months. Gai-sensei said it would improve my social-skills. And I nearly forgot to ask: Didn't I see you walk into that theatre with my little cherry blossom a moment ago?"

"Well I just… Yeah I was with… Hold on, your little _what_?!"

"My little cherry blossom!" Lee repeated, still grinning. "You know, Sakura Haruno."

Sasuke frowned, suddenly infuriated. "Yeah I was with her. Why?"

"Please tell her that I say hi! And also tell her stop by after the movie!"

"Uh… I guess I-"

"Will you hurry up and order?!" called an angry voice from behind him in the building line.

"Right," Sasuke said, relieved to change the subject. "I'd like a small popcorn… and a large iced tea with two straws."

"Is that everything?"

"No. I also want a bag of Gummy Bears." And with that, he paid, grabbed the food and raced back into the theatre without backwards glance. Sakura, who had been lost in her thoughts, was taken by surprise when Sasuke sat down beside her.

"Great, you're back! Now do you-… Wait, you _did _get snacks! How could you?" she said, pretending to whack him across the face with her purse.

"Hey! What kind of thank you is that?" he asked, suppressing a smile and tossing the giant bag of Gummy Bears onto her lap.

She gasped and picked up the bag. "These are for me?" she asked.

"Well you said that if you could have anything in the world-"

"-at that very moment, it would be Gummy Bears," she finished. She paused. "I-I… Sasuke, you really didn't-"

"Ha, well it's too late to return them now, huh? So I guess you have no choice but to eat them," he said, smirking victoriously.

She turned to look at him. But it wasn't just a look. It was a smouldering, meaningful gaze that suddenly made Sasuke feel uncomfortable, but keen to decode it. "I never thought you'd be like this, Sasuke," she said quietly. "You're actually…I guess you're sort of… sweet."

"Really now?" he asked, suddenly amused, and backfiring in the starting contest with the same, if not more intensity. It only took a few seconds for Sakura to snap her head back around, embarrassed. An awkward silence followed. He decided to break it. "And um… I also got a popcorn and an iced tea to share."

"Thanks." Sasuke put the drink in the cup holder between them and left the popcorn on his lap, but shifted it over towards the middle so Sakura could reach. "How much time until it starts?" she asked.

"Five minutes."

"Want to continue our game?"

"Sure. Alright, I've got one. Do you think you'll be able to sleep after this movie?" he asked with a smirk.

She sighed. "Probably not for the next week. I've got one too: Do you see horror movies often?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Not particularly, no. I like them, but then again, I'll watch anything."

Their game continued right up until the lights dimmed and the previews started. The noise and movement in the theatre diminished accept for a few silhouettes of people rushing in and trying to find seats—probably the people who had been stuck behind Sasuke in the snack line. Sasuke had also made a mental note to forget about Lee's request for Sakura to stop by afterwards. Sasuke scowled. _His_ little cherry blossom indeed.

The previews rolled on, and Sasuke was completely lost in his thoughts. So far, this whole date-thing was a piece of cake. Even if it was sort of a fake, it was still his first, and it was almost just like the real thing. He assumed that if this _was_ a real date, he would be feeling a lot more nervous. He had no reason to be nervous tonight though. This date had absolutely no meaning, and he'd probably end up forgetting about it shortly after he dumped Sakura. He smirked to himself. This might actually get entertaining. If he wanted to, he could pretend to be a completely different person—like a major flirt, or a cuddly softy—and then laugh about it later when the three weeks were up. These driving thoughts kept Sasuke's confidence up.

Until he remembered his friends' advise.

This relationship had to last for three weeks. Relationships involve input from more than one person. Sakura had an important role to play. She had the ability to choose whether or not this relationship would exist.

He realized that his former bold conclusions were delusions. This date might be a fake, but it wasn't supposed to seem that way. It had to be completely believable. This was not the time to be messing around. He couldn't act like a fool and risk having this opportunity slip through his fingers. It was either this or getting #$%ed by fangirls. It was a very serious matter.

The largest remaining problem was whether or not Sakura accepted him. Was he doing a good job so far? Had he forgotten something? Was he being serious enough? Would she agree to accompany him on future dates? Sasuke needed to talk to her. After the movie, he'd clarify a few of these nagging concerns.

The theatre was now very dark. The only way Sakura could see the gummy bears she was holding was to wait for a bright shade from the screen to illuminate them, which lasted only for a second or so. The previews ended much too soon, and the darkness in the theatre suddenly increased as the movie itself began to play. They were suddenly facing an eerie, abandoned building in the middle of a dark forest. As they journeyed deeper into the exterior of this building, the suspense only increased, and Sakura could no longer take it. She knew that something horrifying was on the verge of happening, so she jerked her hands upwards to cover her eyes.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura disbelievingly out of the corner of his eye. _Already_ she was terrified? Had this movie really been a good option for a first date? He tapped her on the shoulder and whispered, "Listen… It's not too late to go do something el-"

But she cut him off. "N-no I'm fine. I j-just hate it when things pop out. I'll uncover my eyes when this scene is over."

"You sure?"

She nodded, and peeked up at the screen—just as a huge, disturbingly frightening man crashed through a wall. He had scraggily hair, short, pointed teeth, blood dripping from his mouth… And to top it off, the music suddenly got louder and scarier.

Sakura's hands shot right back up to her face and she emitted a tiny, frightened squeak.

Sasuke grunted. There had to be _something_ he could do about this. He didn't know how much more he could take! He strained his memory for answers, and a certain one suddenly entered his mind—one from an earlier conversation with Naruto and Shikamaru:

_"What do you mean by "woo" her? What should I do?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru quietly, but unfortunately, Naruto had eavesdropped._

_ "Ooh! Ooh! Let me answer this one!" he said excitedly, raising his hand in the air and jumping up and down. "Ok, first you have to talk to her like she's a normal friend, just so she's not too nervous. Then you have to offer to buy her tickets and snacks. If she refuses, buy them anyways. Once you're really comfortable with her, you can hold her hand or put your arm around her. Make sure you pick a horror movie so you can comfort her if she's scared. When you're watching it, you have you let her lean on your shoulder or snuggle you or whatever. If she doesn't, that just means she's shy and you have to put your arm around her or snuggle her first. When the movie's done, you can give her a hug, then later you can make-out, and then you can take her home and then-" _

_ Sasuke interrupted by pushing him into a puddle._

Let her lean on him…? Let her snuggle him…? Sasuke glanced at her once more. Her feet were now up on the edge of her seat so she could use her knees as a shield for her face. Her head was bowed down and her arms were wrapped around her legs, while peering up at the screen occasionally. She didn't seem ready to lean on him any time soon.

So if _she _wouldn't make the first move… did that mean that… _he _had to?

But would that be a bit too much of a shock? So far, they'd been treating each other like friends (as far as Sasuke could tell), so perhaps she wasn't expecting him to treat her any differently. He didn't want to contribute to her fear (if that was even possible), so he decided to let it go.

But her apprehension only went from bad to worse. Now her head was securely tucked behind her knees and she no longer bothered to glance up at the screen.

Sasuke decided that it would be best to ask her if she wanted him to put his arm around her first, rather than suddenly doing it—even if it was cheesier that way. So, he quickly tapped her on the shoulder before he could change his mind, but her thoughts were in another world—most likely lost in the intensity of the movie. Her reflexes were very quick and sharp… and jerky… and violent. Barely a second after the first tap, he'd felt the soft, smooth, velvety surface of Sakura's purse against the side of his face, only it had been swung with a nervous, sudden intent. Rather than feeling its texture, he felt a searing pang shooting across his cheek, forcing him to jump back with alarm.

Once Sakura's thoughts caught up with her actions, she too jumped back with alarm. "O-oh!" she stuttered, lowering her velvet weapon, then dropping it—revolted by her previous actions. "I'm so sorry! I guess that I… I really get into these movies, huh?"

But his own thoughts were now completely flipped and backwards, after having to deal with that totally unexpected reaction. When he didn't respond, Sakura immediately asked, "Oh my gosh, are you ok?"

He tilted his head to the side and smirked reassuringly, and almost humorously as if to say, _You even have to ask? _She noted that his smirk faded as quickly as it had sprouted, and it was then and there that she assumed that something was wrong. She saw him avert his eyes back to the screen as a distraction to hide the fact that something was really troubling him. "So what's up?" she asked (quietly). She was actually glad to bring up a new conversation to distract herself from the movie itself.

"What?"

"You just tapped me on the shoulder. What is it?"

He resisted the urge to grit his teeth. After that whack in the face, he'd started to feel a change in heart and decided that if she couldn't even handle a tap on the shoulder, putting his arm around her was totally out of question. "Um… It was nothing. Never mind." He understood that this wasn't the most convincing response, but it would just have to suffice.

He then experienced the greatest shock he'd had so far this evening.

Sakura's arms slithered around his waist and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm really sorry," she repeated before leaning back to return to her original position.

Sasuke's mind was set abuzz once again. She… hugged him! _Hugged _him! And he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. After all, he couldn't remember receiving a hug since long before the brutal loss of his family. Unlike girls, guys don't ever hug their friends (unless they want a broken neck), so this put Sasuke at a disadvantage. Once she had fully let go, Sasuke realized how unbelievably short that hug had been. Did she let go because he didn't hug her back? He sighed. He'd better stop thinking about it before he developed a migraine.

A light-bulb suddenly flicked on in his brain. That hug must have been a sign! She _did _want him to put his arm around her! Right? Yeah, that had to be it! This was officially the third time they had come in physical contact with each other (the first had been the time he'd accidentally grabbed her hand and the second had been when he'd caught her after tickling her), so perhaps this was a non-verbal invitation for him to do something in return!

Poor, stupid Sasuke was totally convinced that he had figured something out.

So he finally did what he ought to have done at the beginning of the movie. He slipped his arm across her shoulders. He waited for a few seconds. Wow, it really _was _easy!

Sakura turned to look at him, a little surprised, but then she eased back against his shoulder as if it were an invitation. Sasuke resisted the urge to punch the air in celebration. He had done something _right_!

He was inwardly praising the date gods who had so graciously awarded him with this opportunity. Which god was he praying to? Maybe the Greek god Baccus? Or was that the god of drunkenness? He didn't know and didn't care. He was blissful. Everything just felt right.

Her squirming ceased slightly throughout the rest of the movie. Rather than hiding behind her knees, she'd burry her face into Sasuke's shoulder or even try to hide behind it. The rest of the date flowed smoothly.

* * *

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* * *

**-Chapter 8: The Beginning-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	8. The Beginning

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _A Whisper and a Clamor_- Anberlin (Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 8-**

**The Beginning**

**_________________**

"So, what did you think?" Sasuke asked as the movie's plot subsided and the credits began to roll down the screen. Sakura didn't respond at first—her whole body remaining frozen to the spot. The side of her face was still implanted into his shoulder-blade. "Or were you hiding behind me the whole time?"

"The latter," she mumbled, finally rising. Sasuke smirked. They clumsily waded through the crowd up the isle with stiff legs, and then blinked into the lights behind the theatre doors. They were about to begin their decent down the set of stairs towards the main lobby when a voice stopped them.

"Oh Sakura!"

Sasuke grimaced, recognizing it in an instant.

Sakura turned and beamed when she saw the newcomer. "Lee! Hey, it's been awhile, hasn't it? My, and do you ever look professional! You work here now?" she asked, regarding his uniform.

Lee was flattered and smiled shyly. "Yes I do," he said with pride with flushed cheeks. "The owner for this chain of theatres recommended me for the job." He held his head high. "I would have refused if he hadn't been so persistent. He was getting really annoying and gave me no option but to accept."

"I see," Sakura replied, holding her smile.

Sasuke's eye twitched. That was a down-right lie! When Sasuke had talked to Lee previously in the snack line, he'd asked the same question, but Lee's response had been something along the lines of: "Gai-sensei says that it will improve my social skills". That dirty cheater! Was Lee trying to win Sakura over, despite the fact that Sakura was _clearly _on a date with him? He wouldn't let this slip.

"So Gai's the owner?" Sasuke asked matter-of-factly. His expression was calm and cool, but his eyes twinkled with pleasure at the sight of Lee's appalled facial expression. "And what was his reason for recommending you?" Sasuke asked mockingly, verbally cornering him.

"I-… er… Well," Lee started, struggling to keep his composure while in Sakura's presence.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in Sasuke's direction. _Well that was a rude question,_ she thought. She decided to take Lee's side. "Well obviously it's your hard-working attitude that got you this job. The owner knew that you wouldn't let him down. Right?"

"Absolutely!" Lee said with relief. "So what brings you here on this fine evening?" he asked, hastily changing the subject.

Sasuke's anger was beginning to boil. This guy was either really stupid or really sneaky. "We went to see a movie," Sakura answered. Lee raised one of his monstrously large eyebrows.

"For a date," Sasuke butt in, glowering. He knew that this little addition to Sakura's response wasn't exactly necessary, but he was determined to make his message clear: That Sakura was _not _interested (not that he knew whether or not she was…).

Again, Sakura was surprised by Sasuke's protectiveness. Couldn't she even talk to other guys?

Lee cocked his head to the side. "S-so you two are… _together_?"

Sakura's eyes widened. She'd hadn't put any thought into that concept. Were they? It was only their first date and they hadn't talked about going on other dates or being a couple. Of course, Sakura wasn't even sure whether or not she really wanted to _be _in a long-lasting relationship at the moment. That would involve commitment, faith and a lot of time. Time. That was something Sakura wish she had. No, being in a full-time relationship would be too much for her. She had school, Ino and her mother to worry about right now.

"Nah, it was just one date," Sakura said. Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

Lee's eyes lit up. "So I have not yet lost?"

"Er…"

"Yes! I shall continue striving for your fair heart, my beautiful cherry blossom! Watch yourself, Uchiha! I will soon snatch her right out from under your wicked nose!" Lee declared, waving a threatening finger in Sasuke's face.

"My _what_?" Sasuke asked, dumbfounded. _Is this guy for real?_

"We will meet again!" And with that, Lee ran off and dove back over the counter, scaring a few customers in the process, and smashing into the popcorn machine. The other employees were furious. Sasuke and Sakura decided that this would be an appropriate time to skedaddle.

Once they were finally out of the theatre and in the fresh air they felt relieved and refreshed. The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. The sky was now dark, accept for the sprinkle of stars and the shining moon. Wordlessly, the two of them began their walk, passing a few groups of teenagers who were waiting for rides home. Once they were out of the glowing theatre lights' reach and on the sidewalk again, they were pierced with a lingering silence, accept for the occasional car roaring by or chirping cricket. On and on they walked, into the dark silence, brightened slightly by the yellow-tinged light of each passing street lamp. Sakura glanced at Sasuke curiously out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing a trade-mark serious, cool, collected… and incredible handsome expression, the street lights brightening certain features, but also casting shadows over others. It was preposterously difficult to guess what he could possibly be thinking.

It didn't take very long for him to sense her stare, so he glanced back. As she always did, Sakura turned away with embarrassment. The silent walk continued, until Sasuke could stand it no longer. He broke it. "What is Lee to you?" he asked, struggling not to growl.

Sakura felt her heart thump uncomfortably. Was he worried that she liked him or something? "Oh, he's just my friend. I think. I don't really know." She was afraid to look at Sasuke's expression. She probably made it sound worse. "No he's not even my friend. He's a weird kid."

"Then why were you acting so friendly?"

Sakura shrugged. "Honestly, I think it's really just out of pity. I can connect with him." Sasuke rose and eyebrow. "I can relate to him being… shunned," she mumbled, staring at the ground. "You know, because of Ino and all."

It was Sasuke's turn to study her expression. His eyes were drawn to hers like magnets. He immediately noted that those very bubbly green eyes that were usually so full of light and wonder, had darkened and were clouded by a glossy layer of sadness. The light had been drained. He was suddenly ashamed. Was he the source of this sadness?

"Look Sakura. I'm sorry for asking stupid questions. Here, why don't we finish our Twenty Questions game?"

"Ok," she said quietly, glad to change the subject. "So… hmm… We've only got a few questions left, so they've got to be good. Let me think…" Sasuke was relieved to see a small wondrous spark return to her green orbs. "Alright, here's one: What's your favourite kind of candy? You already know that I like Gummy Bears."

"Hmm," he thought aloud, looking up at the sky. "I don't really like candy."

"What?! You're kidding!"

"No I'm not. I'd rather chocolate."

"Well I'm glad you at least like _chocolate_… But you're sure you don't like candy? Here, I've got some left over Gummy Bears in my purse. Eat one and tell me if you like candy after that." She rummaged through her purse and pulled out the remainder of her movie treats. She grabbed one and shoved it into Sasuke's hand. He hesitated. "_Eat it_," she ordered.

He popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly. After swallowing, he said bluntly, "I still hate candy."

"Still? You didn't like it? Wow. Now _that's_ weird."

He chuckled before asking his next question. "Would you see another movie like that?"

"Pfft! Are you out of your mind?! Of course I wouldn't!"

"Oh."

Noticing his disappointment, Sakura continued. "Well, I wouldn't see it alone… or with my friends or someone like Naruto, because they're just as scared of them as _I_ am. But… but I guess seeing another horror movie with you wouldn't be too bad. Even if I felt like an idiot half the time for being so scared…" She paused when she realized what her ideas were leading towards. She wrapped it up quickly. "You made be feel better." She was suddenly mortified.

"Well I'm glad I could," he answered truthfully. "After you whacked me with your purse, I was afraid that it couldn't be done."

She spun her head around to face him. "Did I apologize for that yet?"  
"Several times," he answered with a smirk. "Your turn."

"My-? Oh right. Uh…hm. I think I have one. And brace yourself. It's more awkward than my last question." He tilted his head to the side, preparing for the worst. "How would you compare this date to other dates?"

Sasuke's eyes widened. How would he answer this one? He had no other dates to compare it to! He'd never given a #$% about going on dates in the past… He was a little worried to tell Sakura that he'd never been on one before. She'd probably take him for some sort of reject. But he quickly concluded that honesty was more important than his pride.

"Th…This was my first one."

Sakura gasped. "Wow, you really _are_ full of surprises tonight! For Sorry for misjudging you… but since you're so popular… I thought you'd be some sort of dating machine! Well I guess that makes me feel better. This was also my first."

"Really? I'm relieved."

A hush swept through them with a cool gust of wind, but unlike previous silences, this one was not awkward. During this quiet time, they were both internally exhaling out their fears. It gave them time to recollect their thoughts and realize that they were on the same boat. There was no reason to be afraid anymore. They were both feeling the same way.

Sasuke suddenly stopped.

Sakura turned back around. "What is it?" she asked with concern.

He looked like he was trying to walk, but something was blocking his way. Or holding him back. His leg quivered strangely. "I can't move! #$%. My ankle just gave in." He was accustomed to these outbursts of pain, however, he hadn't yet faced one in someone else's presence. It usually only reached this level of intensity at the end of a long day or after running (even for a short distance). He hated it. Not only was it throbbing, it was reacting to only a slight amount of pressure. He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Oh no!" Sakura cried, running back to him. "Here, do you mind if I take a look at it?"

"Not at all," he answered.

They continued to stare at each other.

"Uh… you have to sit down."

"Oh sorry. I… um… _can't_… on my own."

"Oops! Right." Without hesitation, Sakura hooked an arm under his and pressed it against his back for support. She eased him into a sitting position, right smack-dab in the middle of the sidewalk, then carefully untied and removed his shoe, unwrapped his tensor bandage, and examined the injury. There was red swelling all along the outside of his left foot.

"Gee, that looks pretty bad. It's rarer to injure the outside of your foot. Do you know which particular spot was sprained? Does one place hurt most?"

"I'm not too sure. When it's throbbing it's hard to tell. I can feel it along the whole side…"

Sakura gently squeezed the outside of his foot, just below his smallest toe. She glanced up at Sasuke's face for a reaction, but there was none, so she moved a little further down. She could feel how his muscles grew tenser the further down she went, and how Sasuke's wincing became more and more profound with every squeeze. At last she squeezed three inches from the back of his foot, and his entire leg convulsed. He squeezed his eyes shut while gritting his teeth and exhaling sharply. He slowly opened his eyes with furrowed brows, and Sakura saw restrained tears cupped in his lower lids, glistening in the street light.

"I never would have guessed," she whispered, staring at his swollen, contorted foot, "that it was this serious. You're a really good actor. You must be in pain all the time."

He shrugged. "I don't need other people worrying about me… or even being aware of it. I don't want anyone to know about my weaknesses. My life would be a living hell, for example, if my fangirls found out. It's better this way. Even if I am in pain."

"But… but I want to know your weaknesses." She ignored the scruples at the back of her mind and stared into his eyes.

"W-what?"

"Even after playing that Twenty Questions game, I still really don't know much about you. I mean, all I really learned so far is that you don't like candy, you're not ticklish and you sing in the shower. I want to know more than that. You're obviously really smart, popular and athletic… But everyone's got a down-side. Even _you_," she added with a smug grin.

He pretended to roll his eyes while smirking. "What are you saying?" he asked, hoping that this conversation would lead to an opportunity for him to ask her to be his girlfriend. He needed one desperately so that he could fulfill his duty for the bet. Three weeks really was a long time and the only way that he and Sakura could be together comfortably would be if she agreed to be in a long-lasting relationship with him. "Just seeing each other" probably wouldn't cut it.

"I'm saying the truth," she answered with a small shrug.

"I'm sure you'll learn more about me," he said, attempting to squeeze some casualty into his tone, "if we spend enough time together."

Her eyebrows rose, and her lips parted slightly. She quickly caught on to the direction this conversation was headed. "Time together_?_" she repeated.

Sasuke was not ready to deal with another rejection. He became paranoid. And now she knew what he was trying to ask, which would give her more time to plan out a way to brush him off. But he couldn't let her. Not after all of his efforts. Would she need a little extra persuasion like the last time (how she wouldn't believe that he was really asking her out until she overheard him confessing his "feelings" about her to someone else)? Sasuke figured that this would also be the case.

Before he could change his mind, he firmly planted his feet to the ground and bent his legs, dragging his body forward. He slid towards her as far as he could until his legs could bend no more. They were now much closer, giving him a better view of her facial expression, and he was disgruntled at the fact that she looked totally petrified. "What's wrong?" he asked, ignoring the shortened gap between them.

"I can't, Sasuke."

"Why not?"

She looked down and fiddled with a loose string on the seam of her jeans. "I've got a lot on my mind and-"

"It's not like I have to be on your mind all the time."

"But time is a problem. We'll hardly-"

"We don't have to get together every day. Just call me whenever you're free."

"Don't forget my mother! She'd flip if she-"

"You don't have to tell her."

"But then she'd find out the hard way, which it worse!"

"Well, she'd find out eventually."

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried furiously. The grave edge in her tone silenced him. "I just can't! There's too much going on for me!"

Sasuke forced sedation into his thoughts as he stared at her. He was fighting a losing battle. Was she making up these excuses because she really _didn't_ wantto be with him? He wasn't sure. It wasn't in his blood to give up, but he figured that fighting recklessly was worse. He now understood. It was over. b

Wordlessly, he struggled to his feet and continued down the sidewalk, limping, leaving a disarranged Sakura crouched on the ground, eyes glued to his retreating figure. Her mind was set abuzz. She knew that something was not right. How could she have turned him away? He was ideal boyfriend material! His persistence had forced her to be blunt and harsh. He probably thought she hated him now. But still, at all costs, she had to prevent her life from getting out of hand. She had her mother, school, Ino…Ino. Would being in a relationship really make it harder for her to deal with Ino? Or could it help? Now that she had the time to weigh the pros and cons, she realized that it probably _would _help. Not only would she become insanely jealous, but previously Ino had accused Sakura of being "more interested in books than boys". What would tick her off more than Sakura being with the boy who _she _liked?

"Wait, Sasuke!" Sakura suddenly cried, scrambling to her feet. It didn't take long for her to catch up to him, since his injury had interfered with his pace.

"Yeah?" he asked monotonously, staring straight ahead.

She bit her lip at his obvious evasion of her face. "Look, I'm sorry. Hey, I really am! Stop frowning! I am so, _so_ stupid for trying to argue with you. I really do want… Hey, look me in the eye, why don't you?" Infuriated, she acted on an impulse, grabbing Sasuke's shoulder and yanking him around, caught up in the oblivion of her anger. Unfortunately, his foot was incapable of supporting him in this sudden change of direction.

It immediately gave way. His leg twisted awkwardly as Sasuke went down.

Right onto Sakura.

She gasped at the sudden impact, but reflexively stuck out her back leg, saving both of them from a perilous crash into the pavement. Instinctively, her arms secured themselves around his back. She straightened up, keeping her arms locked. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she groaned into his shoulder. "There are so many things I have to apologize to you for. There's hurting you, being stupid and rude, hitting you with my purse, being inconsiderate-"

"It's alright," he mumbled.

"It's not! I really _do _like you!" She gripped her fingers into the material of his jacket. "If I were to be with anyone, you'd be at the top of my list, but that's not the problem! This isn't about how I feel. I don't have the time to be committed. I'll just end up letting you down… and that's not fair to you."

"I don't think you're being very fair to me now," he whispered.

"What do you mean?'

He drew back to finally stare into her eyes. "Well for starters, I just told you that I'm going to try my hardest to let our time together revolve around your schedule. You don't _have_ to be totally committed to me. I just want you to accept the fact that… I want to be… to be…," but his voice faltered. Was he really about to confess something to her? He was sounding like a love-struck idiot! But then he remembered that he was _supposed _to sound like one. "Accept the fact that I want to be committed to you," he said, forcing the words out.

"You… really-?"

"Yes I do."

She was silent for a few long moments. Then she pulled her arms free and folded her arms. She sighed. But Sasuke thrillingly realized that it was a sigh of defeat. "Ok then. You win."

He flashed her a big smile. Sasuke Uchiha always got his way.

But then Sakura started heading back towards the theatre. "Where are you going?" he called after her.

"I'm getting your bandage and your shoe. You forgot them."

"Oh," Sasuke answered, suddenly feeling like a moron. While Sakura was rewrapping his bandage, he reminded her not to tell anyone about his foot. "Don't even tell your close friends. I can't risk having my fangirls or my father finding out about it."

"Don't worry I-… Oh! But I thought you lived alone. Weren't you're parents... um…dead?"

"They are," he said quietly, his eyes lowering to the ground. "But that's not going to stop me from trying to impress them. I know that they're still watching my every move."

She watched his expression grow thoughtful. A tingling sensation of admiration mixed with pity welled up in her chest. "Why wouldn't you want your dad to know about your foot?"

Sasuke hesitated. "He would be disappointed in me. I sort of feel like I'd… I'd be unworthy of my family name. He'd tell me to grin and bear it. So that's what I'm doing." After a moment of silence, he looked up. "Why the #$% did I just tell you that?"

Sakura smiled and shook her head. "I don't know either. But I'm glad." Once his bandage and shoe were snugly secured to his foot, she slipped her arms around him and helped him to his feet.

"You know," he started slowly, "of all people who I could be crippled in front of… I'm sure glad I'm crippled in front of _you_." The truth in his words made him smile. Sakura returned it.

She served as his crutch for the rest of the walk.

Ironically, they were both using each other to plot against Ino.

They'd officially stepped onto the START square. Now it was time to roll the die and let luck play its part.

* * *

**Chapter 7 Reviewers: **

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* * *

**-Chapter 3: A Bigger Threat-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	9. A Bigger Threat

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Rebirthing_- Skillet (Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

**A Bigger Threat**

**_________________**

She sensed danger from the moment her size 5 foot had stretched into the building's exterior. There were signs wafting around corners, seeping through the walls. The school was no longer safe. _She_ was no longer safe. There was a new, unwanted figure in this high school. She could feel it.

Ino's strides quickened and she marched across the entrance hall, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Her eyes were blazing with a sudden passionate fury, and passers-by were startled by the crackling aura being emitted from this blonde beauty. She turned right, down a hallway, and froze. Perfume. She was consumed by an unfamiliar, strong, fruity scent. She pierced her lips. She was getting closer. She rounded a bend and saw her friends; her fellow fan-girls. She lowered her head menacingly as she strode over to them, halting with one final _clack _of her heel. Her girls spun around.

"Ino!"

"Where have you-?"

"Has any of you seen a new girl around here?" Ino asked with rage and impatience.

A low, bone-chilling, female voice answered. "I have." The tone was much too calm for Ino's liking. The girls parted to reveal the newcomer. Ino gaped at her, horrified at the fact that this situation was worse than she had imagined.

The owner of this drawling voice was undoubtedly one of the #$%iest-looking girls Ino had ever laid eyes on—and that's saying something in Ino's case. The new girl was wearing spandex, black booty-shorts, which measured at least a foot shorter than the length of her arms. She was also wearing a sweater, with a zipper pulled down low enough to show off a lot of cleavage. She also had long, black, high-heeled boots, and square-rimmed glasses. Her eyes were narrowed, the frightening glare enhanced by long, voluminous lashes and tonnes of make-up to add a glowing sheen to her olive skin-tone. Her straight and shockingly bright red hair really made her stand out and liven up the corridor.

"Ino Yamanaka," the newcomer said slowly, making a bee-line over to the said girl. Ino was very familiar with the way this girl was walking; as if she ought to be the center of attention; as if she were under a spotlight on a catwalk. "I've heard about you."

Ino folded her arms. "Well that's wonderful!" she replied with false cheeriness. "But I don't know who the heck _you_ are."

"Just call me Karin. Now, since we're done introducing ourselves, let's talk about a more serious matter."

Ino cocked her head to the side. "More serious?" she repeated. "What is this about?"

Karin's answer was sharp and sudden—the exact one that Ino didn't want to hear.

"Sasuke Uchiha," she said, her plumped lips curving into a sly smile.

"Don't even waste you're time on him," Ino retorted, desperately attempting alter Karin's thoughts. "He's dating Sakura Haruno. He's crazy about her."

Karin chuckled, and much to Ino's dismay, so did some of her "friends". "And why would that stop me?" Karin asked, smirking. "Just because he rejected _you _it doesn't mean that he'll do the same to _me_."

Ino was appalled and severely crushed, a contributing factor being the sniggers from the crowd. "H-how _dare_ y-you-," she began, but fumbled with her words and didn't continue. "So what are you going to try to do? Win him over?" Ino asked, drawing the focus of the conversation away from herself (for once).

"Nah," Karin said, smiling and shaking her head. "I figured that it would be easier to settle this if we got rid of the problem." Ino stared at her blankly. "We have to get rid of the girl."

"What a petty plan," Ino said mockingly. "And please explain _why_ you said 'we'? What makes you think that I'd ever stoop so low that I'd help you with your nasty schemes?"

Karin shrugged. "Oh. I'm sorry, but I had the impression that you wanted to help me."

It was Ino's turn to smirk. "You honestly expect me to help _you _win him over? That's pathetic!"

"Once I've got him, I could share him with you a bit," Karin shrugged.

Ino huffed. "You make it sound like it's easy. He's just going to make a fool out of you."

Karin laughed again. "Pfft! Ha! Didn't I already _tell_ you that you and I are different? Ah well. Your loss. C'mon girls," Karin said, and to Ino's dismay, all of her former friends followed, leaving her alone in the middle of the hall. "Let's go find the girl." They rounded the bend, out of sight.

_Grr, I'll kill that #$%! What on earth is she trying to pull? I've got to stop her before she makes a move… But how? _Ino thought, trying to meet a conclusion.

"What are you doing here by yourself?" said a new voice from behind her.

Ino spun around. "Oh. It's only you," she answered, relieved. She paused. "Why would you care?!"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Since you've changed, I don't remember seeing you all alone. That's all." And with that, he left. Ino watched his retreating figure, restraining the urge to call after him.

* * *

Sakura had been severely touched by her conversation with Sasuke on Friday night. She was surprised and impressed that she had been able to uncover the truth behind the scowl; that he was really just striving to impress his parents, even if they weren't alive. He wanted to be worthy of his family name… Wow, that family must really have high standards if even Sasuke didn't quite qualify. And Sakura would be far from qualifying… not that it she cared about being worthy of his family name. She wasn't planning to be a part of it.

She found Sasuke's locker the following morning. It was in an extended wing on the second floor. He looked troubled (as usual), and he was rummaging through piles of books and binders. When Sakura called out to him, he looked startled and he immediately started shoving his books back into his locker. "Er… Are you organizing this morning?" she asked, just as he slammed the door shut.

"N-n…I mean yes. Yeah, I'm organizing," he answered quickly.

Sakura rose an eyebrow. "Ok," she answered, even though she didn't believe him. "How's your foot this morning?" she asked, dropping her voice down to a whisper. She didn't want to risk blowing his cover.

"Fine. Better," he said, again with a hurried tone.

"Are you sure? Here, let me carry your books-"

"No!"

Sakura took a step back, startled. What was up with him this morning? Was he embarrassed to talk to her when there were other people around? "O-oh. I'm sorry," she said with a frown and spinning on the ball of her foot. She started walking back down the hall, figuring that he probably just wanted to be alone.

"Rrgh! No, get back here! I didn't want you to leave!" he called after her.

"Then what's wrong with you?" was her rebut. "Are you mad at me or something?"

He shook his head with wide eyes. "Why would I be mad?"

"I have no idea! But you're hiding something from me! Don't deny it!" she said, waving an accusing finger in his face. He looked guilty, so she assumed that she'd struck a chord. "What is it?" she asked seriously.

"It's not really important or anything," he said quietly. "I just don't want you to get the wrong impression. I don't want other people to either."

'What is it?" she repeated, her curiosity growing with each passing second.

He swung open his locker.

At first, Sakura didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. It was just a pile of school supplies, textbooks and binders… with words scrawled in black sharpie marker _all_ over them. She pulled out his pencil case for a clear view of the smudging text… She read the words aloud. "Sakura Haruno's… _boyfriend?!_" she said, quite flabbergasted. "W-wow Sasuke, I know that it's official now, but isn't this pushing it a bit?"

"I'm sorry. It really wasn't-"

"No, no. Please don't apologize. It's cute."

"But I didn't even-"

"Do you mind if I borrow your idea?"

"Look, I wasn't the one who… Borrow it?" he repeated, his jaw dropping.

"Yeah, sure. I'll write _Sasuke Uchiha's Girlfriend _on all of my supplies. That way we'll be even."

It was Sasuke's turn to be flabbergasted. "Er… I don't care. Do what you want." He owed Naruto one. Who would have guessed that he would have been right about this 'kick-starting their relationship'? Sakura watched him while he took his binder, textbook and pencil case out of his locker, piling them in his arms, but still attempting to cover the words written on them. She was suddenly crestfallen. After a few moments, he caught her staring. "What are you looking at?" he asked, a little rudely.

"Watch your attitude," she snapped with a glare. He was taken aback and nearly dropped his pile of supplies. It was rare for an Uchiha to receive demands. He opened his mouth to retort, but she beat him to it. "Look, I don't know whether you're doing this on purpose, but just in case you haven't already noticed, you've been acting really cold towards me. Do I make you uncomfortable or are you always like this? Because to tell you the truth, you're making _me_ feel uncomfortable."

"Uh…," he replied blankly, contemplating over his choice of words. "I'm just… I really don't…" _want to hurt you... _He knew what he had to say, but he couldn't manage to force the words out. He was still fully aware that he didn't _have _to mean everything he said. And he was sure that her reaction would be rewarding.

His real concern was his _own _reaction.

An Uchiha declaration was law. He was worried that he would believe himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, unsure of the direction this was heading. "I'm not trying to be cold."

Sakura sighed. "So I guess this is just who you are, huh?" she asked glumly.

"I guess so." He paused. That was probably the wrong thing to say.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He was again shocked by her response, and found himself facing a familiar saddened expression. Her eyes were so dull. Her brows furrowed, her lips pierced, her cheeks paled… He lost it. There was something about this particular expression that sent unpleasant sensations down his spine. It inspired him to take action; to _do_ something, _anything_… to rekindle the fire in those glistening emeralds.

"But I can change," he spluttered. She didn't appear to be convinced, and those vibrant orbs were darting about. He was consumed by his own frustration. "Look me in the eye, why don't you?" he yelled furiously, subconsciously stealing her words. When she refused, he tucked his index finger beneath her chin and jerked it upwards. This abominable action ensnared her focus, and he caught her face reddening. Naturally, this ill-fated position also made quite a display, drawing in stares from different directions, along with gasps and whispers. But he didn't care. Nothing mattered more than the task at hand.

"Listen," he started, the entire hallway dead-silent.

A pin could've been heard dropping.

Not a soul stirred.

"I'll change for _you_," he said seriously.

Her stomach clenched.

"S-Sasuke…," she breathed. No one had _ever_ in the history of her existence, sounded so willing, so keen to do something—something for _her_. She slowly reached up to her own face, brushing the back of his hand with her finger tips. She traced his fingers, his skin soft and gentle. Consoling and welcoming. She was totally lost in the moment. His dark, mysterious eyes dragged her into a vortex of wonder and suspense. The world around was spinning out of focus, lost in the blurry swirls trailing behind her thoughts. She suddenly realized how totally impossible it was to stay cross with this guy. In the heat of this passionate moment, he was everything she wanted. His face was calm, his gaze steady. His pupils were large and mystifying, almost curious. Was he feeling the same way? Was he trying to read her thoughts?

Was he looking at her eyes or into her eyes?

"Do you-?" she began.

"Oh SASUKE!" called a voice, snapping the pair of them back to reality. "Good, there you are! So about that—whoa! Am I interrupting anything?" Naruto asked, jaw dropping at the scene before him. The watching peers were also drawn back to their own thoughts and scurried along to their own destinations.

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura had been aware of just how awfully close they were standing, and in such a suggestive position—Sasuke's hand cupping the side of her face, her hand pressed against his hand… They quickly backed off, turning to face Naruto, forcing innocence into their expressions. "You bone-head," Sasuke grumbled. _Innocent until proven guilty_, he thought, smirking inwardly.

Neji and Tenten were at his side. "Where's Hinata and Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, altering their conversations topic to something less pressuring.

"Hinata's getting her books," Neji answered. "But Shikamaru wandered off. I'm pretty sure he went to class early." His blunt explanation ended quickly, leaving more tension between this group of friends.

"Well, I'd better get mine too," Sakura said with false cheeriness.

"Let me come with you," Tenten butt in, joining Sakura before sparing Neji a quick hug.

"See you Sasuke," Sakura said with a wave over her shoulder and a smile that only he could understand.

"Later," he replied with a nod and a smirk. The girls departed.

Once they were out of earshot, Sasuke received a sharp nudge in the ribs. "You sly dog!" Naruto said with a mischievous chuckle. "Did you listen to Shikamaru at all? I thought you'd save the making-out until at _least_ next week!"

Sasuke growled. "Don't you go getting your hopes up. We definitely weren't. Who do you think I am anyways?"

"You're Sasuke," he answered, being Naruto. "What's that got to do with anything? So then what _were_ you doing?"

He hesitated. He actually hadn't been sure. He could recall that it'd had been a strange moment, that's for certain. He'd lost track of time, forgotten his surroundings… All he could remember was her. "I was just looking at her," he said, striving for finality, but failing.

"_Looking_?" he repeated.

"Shut up."

They glowered at each other, so Neji cut in. "How was Friday night? I forgot to call you on the weekend."

"Let's save that for lunch," he answered. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of these friends of his. Compared to Sakura, they were excruciatingly difficult to talk to.

* * *

After trying to convince Tenten for the umpteenth time that she and Sasuke hadn't _done _anything, they finally reached her locker. She was severely relieved that Tenten dropped the subject seconds later.

"What's that?"

"What?" Sakura asked, turning to her, then following her finger to a small piece of paper slipped in the crease of her locker door. "Someone left me a note," she said, abandoning her task of unlocking the combination lock. She managed to slide the paper free with her index and middle finger. She unfolded it carefully, examining its contents.

"Well, what's it say?" Tenten asked eagerly. Sakura handed it over.

_Sakura Haruno,_

_Please meet me in the parking lot_

_when you're finished eating your_

_lunch today. Thanks._

"Again with the secret notes?" Tenten asked, with a sly grin. "Wow, I'm jealous!"

Sakura smirked. Had Sasuke slipped it into her locker before their previous encounter? Or was someone new about to enter her life? She ripped the paper in half and shoved it into her pocket.

"Don't tell me you're backing out," Tenten said with a disdainful pout.

"Oh I'm going," Sakura replied straight-forwardly, smiling. _I learned my lesson last time. I can't let my imagination get out of control. Some surprises are good surprises._

She was about to experience the most memorable moment of her life.

* * *

**Chapter 8 Reviewers:**

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You guys motivate me and make my life rewarding!!! THANK YOU! (L)

* * *

**-Chapter 10: Needing You-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	10. Needing You

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _In My Arms_- Plumb (Inspirational)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

***Happy 10th anneversery of Just a Game :**D

**-Chapter 10-**

**Needing You**

**_________________**

Sakura spent her first and second period fantasizing about her yet-to-come lunchtime experience. She set her mind on the fact that the note must have been from Sasuke. After all, it seemed to be his unique, mysterious, trade-mark (and old-school) way of letting her know that he wanted to tell her something. So what did he want to tell her?

"Alright class," said Asuma, her Science teacher, "once you've finished copying from the overhead, please open your textbooks to page 256 and answer the first seventeen questions. Most of them are directly related to the notes you just copied, but the others involve applying this knowledge to everyday situations. It will force you to think _outside of the box_." At this, the class groaned. Anything involving extra thinking was _not_ something to celebrate over. He ignored their tedious outbursts. "Whatever you don't complete is for homework. If you were paying attention during my lecture, you should be finished by the bell. Get working."

The sounds of ruffling notebooks, closing binders and the scratching of pencils on paper filled the room—accept for at one particular desk. Sakura was completely lost in her thoughts. What could it be that Sasuke wanted to tell her that he didn't tell her this morning? Perhaps it was very important and he didn't want anyone overhearing? But why at the parking lot of all places? Fifteen minutes of contemplating and re-contemplating passed.

"Haruno?"

"Eh?!" Sakura gasped at the sound of her surname. "Yes, Asuma-sensei?" She sensed heads spin in her direction.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

"Finished what?"

"The seventeen questions."

Her eyes widened. "I…," she started stupidly, voice faltering.

"Can you please read your answer for question one?"

"S-sure," she said, glancing down at her blank page. _Crap…_ she thought, quickly flipping her textbook to page 256 and scanning the question.

_1) __Describe, in full detail, the pioneer stage in regards to succession._

"Well?" Asuma prodded, smirking as her eyes flickered over the page, her mind probably being strained.

"The pioneer stage," Sakura answered, pretending to be reading from her paper, "involves the process where pioneer plants convert a lifeless environment into an environment that can sustain other life." She took a breath and continued. "It occurs at the beginning of primary succession. There are 3 types of pioneer plants: lichens, found on bare rock, floating plants, found in aquatic environments and hardy grasses, found in sand dunes." She stopped, and glanced upwards at Asuma's expression, which was rather shocked.

"Very good," he said with a scowl. "But although you already seem to know the answers, that doesn't excuse you from writing them down."

"Yes, sensei," she answered, silently thanking God for her extraordinary memorizing skills.

* * *

Obeying the note's orders, she went to the lunch table to eat before going to the parking lot. She spotted Hinata, Tenten and Neji at their usual place, and she sat on the end next to Hinata, across from the other two. Hinata turned to her immediately. "So, how're things?" she asked, with her usual politeness.

"Downright rotten," Sakura answered with a sigh. "Just now in Science class, I totally spaced out, and then-"

"She doesn't mean _school-wise!_" Tenten interjected with a trace of annoyance. "How are things with going with Sasuke? How was that first date?"

"Well… Of course it was-"

"Tell us everything," Neji butt in, catching Sakura off guard.

"O-ok, well on Friday night we-"

"Oh! And Tenten tells me that the two of you had a 'moment' this morning! Tell us about that too!" said Hinata. But before Sakura could even consider answering, three new figures had joined them at the table.

"Hiya peeps!" Naruto said with a wacky grin. "Mind if we join ya? Our table's taken." Without waiting for any response, he eased himself next to Hinata and started eating a half of her sandwich. After his second mouthful, he asked, "This is good. Can I have it?" and Hinata nodded nervously with a twitching eyebrow.

Shikamaru also joined them, taking his seat silently next to Tenten, and Sasuke as well, who sat next to Neji, across from Sakura, who was suddenly feeling quite dreary. She noticed that he was trying to catch her eye, but she didn't want to lose herself in a trance with all of her friends around, so instead, she pretended to be awfully busy trying to open her plastic container of carrots.

"What great timing!" Tenten said slyly. "Hey, Sasuke! Sakura was just about to tell us all about your date on Friday, along with some details about this morning. Why don't you help her out?"

"Oooh, oooh! I want to hear about this too!" Naruto suddenly said, dropping his sandwich-half and ogling at the two of them.

Sasuke decided to let Sakura do the talking, so he ignored them and dug into his lunch. "Nothing special happened," she answered, but was faced with five disbelieving glares along with cocked brows. "Ok, ok. Well to sum it up, Sasuke scared away some smokers, then we started playing 20 Questions, I fell because he tickled me, I learned that he sings in the shower, he bought me some gummy bears, I hit him with my purse, he got jealous over Lee, his foot hurt so he stopped walking, we had an argument, we made up and now we're going steady. Any questions? That's what I thought." All jaws, including Sasuke's, were dropped.

"Whoa… Can you say that all again so I can write it down?" Naruto asked, awe-struck.

Sasuke himself found it all a little overwhelming. It was strange to imagine that all of that had actually happened in one evening.

A moment of silence (accept for chewing) passed as each of them processed the new information. "Wow," Tenten said in amazement. "It sure sounds like you two have already been through a lot!"

"Not really," Sakura answered, although she knew that Tenten was probably right.

"No, seriously!" she continued. "I mean, Neji never tickled me until at _least_ a month into our relationship!"

Sasuke choked on his blueberry muffin (of course, he didn't start _coughing_, because after all, Uchiha's are much too well-mannered to put on a vulgar display. His breathing simply deepened). He politely turned his head away from his friends, more embarrassed than anything.

"So," Naruto said, his face scrunched up into a thoughtful expression. "Sasuke. I want _you_ to answer this next one." A devious grin pulled at the corners of his mouth, revealing a dimple. "Tell me all about this morning. And _don't _tell me that you were just looking at her because you most definitely weren't."

"Look, I've got to be somewhere," Sasuke said suddenly, severely annoyed. He stood up, snatched up his lunch was stalked out the back exit. Naruto wasn't too surprised. He was used to Sasuke leaving in the middle of conversations. Sakura, on the other hand, was taking this action into consideration.

_That's got to be a sign!_ she thought, eyes widening. _I think he wants me to go meet him in the parking lot. _She too stood, raising suspicion and receiving glances from left, right and centre. "That reminds me," she said slowly. "I have to be somewhere too."

"Where?" Neji asked, he and the rest staring at her curiously.

"My Science class," she lied. "I didn't understand today's lesson in the slightest and I'm going to go ask for some extra help."

"Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning something about your Science class before," Tenten said dismissively (as if she approved). The others also nodded, suspicions that she was chasing after Sasuke dissipating. Sakura made sure to use the front exit instead. Once she was out the cafeteria doors, she paused, glancing down the empty hallway. She could barely control her excitement. This morning, she finally realized that she and Sasuke shared something special, and she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted explore the potential of this connection more. Even picturing the possibilities made her stomach clench in anticipation, her brain pulse with a cyclone of thoughts and her heart pound as if she's just seen a horror movie. But then again, as long as Sasuke would be by her side, horror movies were nothing to fret over.

She left through the front doors, took a right and spotted the parking lot just up ahead. There were also parking spaces at the front of the school, but this spot was a little more isolated and set apart from the school yard. There was a lesser chance of being overheard. She walked out to the middle and observed the situation. It appeared to be deserted—accept for the three cars parked in this small lot, all of them spaced out. The lot itself was bordered with a metal chain-link fence, and Sakura figured that it would be best to lean against one of the poles.

She started her "Ritual of Boredom or Anticipation": She pulled out her sparkly, pink tube of lip gloss, gave it a quick squeeze and pressed it to her lips. She gently stroked from left to right, then smacked her lips together and stowed it back into her pocket. She reached into her other pocket for her cell phone, but with a pang of realization, she remembered that she left it in her bag, which was in her locker. She figured that the only thing left to do was touch up her outfit.

She straightened her square-necked, pink T-shirt (a slightly darker shade than her hair colour). Due to her lack of sleeves, she was feeling a slight chill from the early fall breeze. She ran her thumb and index finger down the silver chain of her necklace, making sure that the fastening clip was at the back and the light green jewel was at the front (the same shade as her eyes). She was wearing a thin, plastic headband, again in a light shade of green, which sat behind her bangs, today parted in the middle. She brushed her hands down her black skinny jeans, smoothing out any wrinkles and then straightening with finality.

Where was Sasuke, anyways?

He'd left the lunch table before her. But still, he'd taken the back exit, which meant that he had a longer trip. A thought occurred to her. Perhaps Sasuke thought she'd follow in his footsteps and leave through the back exit? Could he be outside of that exit, waiting for her, so that they could walk to the parking lot together? Her thoughts raced, and her heart began to pound again. She should go check it out. She spun on her heal and made her way back towards the school.

"Hold on."

She spun back around, surprised to find someone else in the parking lot with her. It was a girl, that was for certain, but Sakura had to blink several times to fully digest her total image. Firstly, her voice was drawling, slightly low (as far a female voices go). Her skin was glowing with a smooth tan, obviously touched up and smoothed out with makeup. Her eyes were emphasized with dark, thick layers of black eyeliner and mascara. Her thin eyebrows made a fine arch, her expression mustered into something quite unfriendly. _Loathing _even. Sakura noted her spandex, black booty shorts (which exceeded the limit of being _called_ shorts), her cleavage-revealing sweater and her sleek, too-red-to-be-real hair. If Sakura had been a judgemental person, this girl would most definitely be one of the biggest #$%s in the history of human existence. But having the kind heart she had, Sakura decided to give her a second chance.

"What is it?" she asked politely. "Do you need something?"

"You're Sakura Haruno?" the girl replied sharply.

"Uh… yeah," she answered stupidly, her mind set abuzz.

"Good," she answered, her plumped and coloured lips twisting into a smirk. "Call me Karin. Let's talk."

Sakura's brows furrowed. "S-sorry, but I really have to go. I'm pretty sure that someone's waiting for me… and I feel bad enough already, since I misunderstood his directions…"

"Sasuke can wait. You got my note?"

"I… well… _what?!_" She felt her jaw hanging open, her eyes widening. "_You're _note? B-but I don't even know you! And how to you know about Sasuke? Who are you really?" These new facts were overwhelming.

Karin chuckled. "So I got your locker number right, huh? I got all of my information from a pretty reliable source, after all…"

"Who are you?" Sakura repeated, suddenly wishing that she's kept her cell in her pocket.

"Didn't I already tell you my name? What else do you need to know? But I already know who you are. You're Sakura. And you're a threat."

"Threat?"

As if on cue, a group of girls entered the parking lot, and Sakura immediately recognized them as Ino's crew. "Over here!" Karin called. They all gathered around, and Sakura felt out of place. Something was wrong with this whole situation. They were planning something. These new peers were studying Sakura, many of them smirking or whispering. "So Sakura," she said, loud enough for all to hear. Was Sakura having a déjà vu? She was vaguely reminded of her encounter with Ino a week previously. Oh how she hated it when people ganged up on her. "Let's clear one thing up now, shall we?" Karin said, suddenly serious. "If you and Sasuke don't break up by the end of the day, I will be your worst nightmare."

Sakura could hardly believe her ears. Of course this would be about him! Everything in her life nowadays seemed to revolve around that one particular source: Sasuke Uchiha. She wasn't overly surprised. All of the #$%s were after him. "I'm sorry, Karin. No can't do."

Her brows shot up. "Oh no?"

"Sorry."

Her eyes narrowed, glistening icily. "You're nothing special," she drawled on. "What makes you think that I can't snatch him out from under your nose? I suggest that you end it yourself before I win him over. This way you won't have to go through the whole 'heart-break' faze. I don't really know what it's like. I've never been dumped. But I've heard that it's brutal."

Murmurs swept across the crowd. Sakura's brows furrowed, but she wasn't about to give up. "I don't think you're his type," she said honestly.

"How not?" Karin asked, tilting her head to the side. And something about her expression made something flare inside of Sakura. Her heart burned with… what was it, jealousy? Just imagining someone like her standing within a metre of the Uchiha prodigy fired her up. She wouldn't dare picture what would happen if Karin actually _did _win him over. Her thoughts were clouded with rage.

"I could give you a list, but I think I'll make it short, sweet and to the point:," she said, suddenly forgetting about the crowd. "He's got class. He doesn't go for #$%s." She was basically vocalizing her thoughts.

Before she could ready herself, she and Karin were nose-and-nose. "Say that again, #$%," she hissed, daring Sakura to make another move.

"My bad," Sakura said sarcastically, placing her hand over her mouth and pretending to be apologetic. "I was sure that it would be understandable enough being short and sweet. Would you prefer I give you the list?" She hadn't the slightest clue where she was getting this confidence from. Karin was outraged, but Sakura wasn't yet finished. "Listen to me, Sasuke isn't a prize. He's got the freedom to choose his girl, and right now he's with me. That being said, I _also _have freedom, which means that I get to choose whether or not I want to dump him. And I'd rather not, personally."

"Oh, ho. Well aren't you just a genius," Karin said mockingly, fists clenching. "But I then I have freedom too, and I want _him_. Doesn't that give me the right to have him?"

"Er… Not exactly," Sakura thought, suddenly wondering how someone could be so stupid. "But let's not fight over it, ok? Now why don't you leave me and my life, and find yourself another man? I'll help you." Actually, at the moment, Sakura was sure that she'd do just about anything to get this creep out of her life.

Karin and the others laughed. "Whoops! Did I somehow give you the impression that I'm backing down? You may have said that I'm not his type, but who says I can't change him?"

"_No one's _going to change him!" Sakura spat, her bubbling fury coming to a boil. "You might see him as some sort of play-thing, or reward, or whatever! But I know that deep down… behind his smirks and scowls… there's a kind heart! Sasuke needs someone who's going to want him for who he is! He needs someone who's going to bring out the inner happiness that's been locked away with his solicitude! He's not looking for someone just for pleasure! This isn't a game. It's-"

But right then, Karin made it obvious that her fury had also come to a boil. Her hands shot out, forcefully pushing against Sakura's shoulders threateningly. The impact was sharp, jerking Sakura's whole body backwards, stopping her breathing, causing her to lose her footing. She emitted a quiet yelp as her heel caught a crease in the cement ground, her weight shifting, her arms flailing, her body descending…

Until the back of her skull smashed against the metal pole of the chain-link fence behind her with a sickening crack.

She tumbled to the ground, her entire body crippling as a searing pain consumed her thoughts. It was a pain she hadn't felt before. Unlike her foot injuries, she felt the climax of it all at once, all right away. She tried to scream. She could feel liquid pouring from her eyes, trickling down her face and down her head.

Karin couldn't believe the situation. She hadn't done it on purpose. She hadn't actually intended to hurt the girl just yet. She sprung into action on an impulse. "Let's get out of here!" she ordered, she and the others departing.

Sakura could see the blurry silhouettes of feet running off into the distance. She snapped her eyes shut, struggling to stay conscious… at least until someone came to help her out of this mess. But the pain was only increasing, her thoughts fuzzing up, her body slowly… steadily growing limp…

_Help me!_ her thoughts cried, pleading to the unknown. She realized that this could be the brink of death. _Someone! Anyone! I think I'm dying! _

Her shaking hand reached to touch the back of her head. Her arm didn't make it all the way to the injured spot, but her fingers were sopping with blood. She silently whimpered, her eyes streaming and her body suddenly growing cold, clammy.

_I can't die. I won't die over this. All I need is a little help. _Her strength was weakening… her mind was slipping… further… further… She was fighting a losing battle. Her body was giving in.

_Sasuke…_

She squeezed her eyes together, gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists. She was preparing herself for the worst. If this was the end, she might as well make the best of it.

A faint memory of dark eyes, gentle, pale skin… A hand pressed against the side of her face…

_I need you. _

_ I want you to be here…_

Her thoughts subsided.

Blackness.

Nothingness.

_Sasuke…_

Moments later, Ino came racing into the parking lot. "Oh my _God_! My goodness, my Lord… What has she done to you?!" She crouched down next to the unconscious girl, screaming and crying at the sight: Sakura's still body lying in a pool of blood. Not wasting any time, she flicked out her cell and called Emergency.

* * *

Sasuke returned to the lunch table. "What were you up to?" Naruto asked immediately.

"Bathroom," he replied bluntly. "Why?"

"Well, we thought that you and Sakura might've run off somewhere," Tenten said with a sly smirk.

Sasuke suddenly realized that Sakura wasn't there. "Where is she?" he asked, panicked.

"Her Science class for extra help," Hinata answered.

"Ok," was his blunt reply. "She's in my class, so I'll see her next period."

* * *

**Chapter 9 Reviewers:**

_maximumride24, kt., Midami Uchiha of the Sand, MiMiSora4EVR23, shkh4ever, luna starz, Angel Dying Red, kaYeYe, ChickenBuck, Sasusaku Forever and Ever, ., alayneni, experiment15, ToraHimeSama, whenifallxx, Tsukiakari Hogosha, AliKat12, mistyfire's code is secure, ayme81131, Geanie-chan101_ and of course_, Here'sMeBeingSilly!_

I love you all.

* * *

**-Chapter 11: The Missing Piece-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	11. The Missing Piece

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Slow Me Down_- Emmy Rossum (Inspirational / Vocal)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 11-**

** The Missing Piece**

**_________________**

Without Sakura around, Sasuke figured that he had no reason to stay at the lunch table with the others. Seeing how he no longer had to linger and impress her, his mind decided that he'd better take a quick walk before the end of lunch to clear his head. After all, spending a whole half hour evading and stumbling on personal questions being tossed at him left, front and centre (about a particular date he'd had the previous Friday), he settled on backing out of the situation and taking some time to cool off before he blew his top. He found his chance when Naruto started cracking his daily round of "yo mama" jokes, accept Hinata seemed to be the only person who was paying any kind of attention to him. Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten were sharing... a _passionate _moment over on the other side of the table and Shikamaru was reading a book. Sasuke felt awkwardly out of place. He chose this moment to slip away from the others, although he was sure that Shikamaru was peering at him over his page out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke ignored this and continued down the centre isle of the cafeteria between the rows of tables.

Suddenly, Sasuke realized that his mind was somewhere else entirely. His body was drifting forwards slowly, automatically. But his mind was elsewhere, lost and searching. He wasn't quite sure what he was trying to find, but he was certain that something was missing. Coloured blurs were zooming by, racing and colliding… Beyond the blurs, something was waiting for him… Something he needed to reach…

"Hey… um, Uchiha?"

Sasuke was sucked back to earth with a painful lurch, as if he'd suddenly re-crossed an invisible boundary high in the atmosphere, and was being dragged down by gravity. "What?" was his cold response. He spun around, but once he laid eyes on the interrupter of his spiral of thoughts, he wished that he'd never turned at all.

"You ok there?" Rock Lee asked, his face twisted into something rather funny, which Sasuke assumed was supposed to resemble concern. "You looked kind of spaced out. I was worried about you."

"Worried about me," he repeated, corners of his mouth twitching. Surprises just kept on coming when this guy was around.

"Of course," he said seriously, his beady eyes darkening and his caterpillar-like brows furrowing. "Sakura is important to me, and you are important to Sakura. Therefore, you are also important to me."

"Ah," Sasuke replied curtly, overwhelmed by mixed emotions. He wasn't sure whether he should take this as a compliment, a cue to leave or a reason to hit him. They continued standing in fixated positions, Lee smiling up at the pissed Uchiha. He was well-aware that several surrounding peers were sniggering behind their hands because of the scene they were making, so he cut to the chase and said, "Look, Lee. Do you have something to say or am I wasting my time standing here?"

"Oh, you're most definitely, positively _not_ wasting your time! I've been looking for you because I want you to give something to Sakura for me!"

"Alright," he said, a little nervous.

"You have to promise me that you'll keep it mint condition, since it's one-of-a-kind and even if I give her another one, it won't be quite the same."

"Ok, hand it over."

"Are you ready for this?"

"Um, yes."

"Mentally prepare yourself, for this shall-"

"Holy #$% just _give _it to me!" Sasuke had lost all patience, and was surprised that he hadn't snapped before now.

"Whoa, calm down! That's what I was doing!" He reached into the draw-string bag and pulled out-

"An ostrich?"

"No! It's Gai-sensei! Duh!" Lee said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "This is a unique sculpture that I designed today in art class, _especially_ for my cherry blossom! She'll be so pleased! I can just picture her expression now!"

"Uh… so can I," Sasuke said, cringing. _It would probably fall somewhere between horrified and scarred-for-life._ "Well anyways, thanks. I'll give it to her next period."

Before Sasuke could defend himself, Lee's free hand was enclosed around his own. "And one more thing," Lee said, pausing for a dramatic effect. "Tell her that she's beautiful."

The sniggering was growing notably loud, so Sasuke snatched the sculpture, shoved it into the pocket of his black jeans, and drew his hand back. "Uh, yeah. I have to be somewhere," he lied, racing out of the cafeteria.

"Bye Sasuke!" he heard over his shoulder. He carefully ignored him, thanking God that Naruto hadn't been there. He'd never have lived it down.

Once he reached the safety of the empty halls, he was free to let his mind wander again. This newfound light-headedness was getting under his skin because, after all, he was a very down-to-earth person. But for some reason, he was positive that he'd find hidden truths buried beneath the barricade he'd used for years to block out emotions. But why would he _now_, of all times, want to break his own barrier, a reliance he'd depended on for years, to look for facts? Facts are tidbits of information, which are based solely on events that occur in the outside world. There are three steps involved: There's an occurrence of some sort, and through it, facts are collected and lastly, processed. The mind was in charge of simply processing information, converting the facts into relevant information. Nothing more. Then why did he feel so strongly that he'd be able to learn something from his own mind?

Feeling the familiar pulsing of a developing headache against his skull, he quickly ended his train of thoughts. He realized that he hadn't been walking, and was yet again receiving curious glances for having been taking up the hallway. He sighed and took a left, and trudged along dazedly. The crowd thinned as he walked further, to his satisfaction. He noted that he was still holding the ostrich-Gai sculpture. He absent-mindedly wondered whether he should actually give it to Sakura. After all, _he_ was the one seeing her right now. Wouldn't it be strange to give her a gift _f_rom _another_ guy? But still, it was only from Lee, who was hardly half a man anyways. But still, it sounded like Lee had put quite a lot of effort into making it especially for her. If he gave something special from someone else, would it make it look like _he_ wasn't putting enough effort into their relationship? As stupid and pointless as little things like this may seem, should he too be making her gifts?

He painfully recalled how Neji treated Tenten, and their constant public displays of affection. Was that also a necessary expectation? Was Sakura waiting for him to make his move? Was she frustrated that he was taking so long to realize what he was supposed to do? Sasuke's heart began to pound hard against his chest. He found himself thinking about a conversation they'd had the previous morning. Sakura had most definately been frustrated with him.

_ "I'm sorry," he said, unsure of the direction this was heading. "I'm not trying to be cold."_

_ Sakura sighed. "So I guess this is just who you are, huh?" she asked glumly._

_ "I guess so." He paused. That was probably the wrong thing to say. _

_ "I'm sorry to hear that."_

_ He was again shocked by her response, and found himself facing a familiar saddened expression. Her eyes were so dull. Her brows furrowed, her lips pierced, her cheeks paled… _

He shook his head with disgust at his previous words. He hated how he always said the wrong thing. And being a proud, conceited Uchiha, he'd always speak with authority and force. Of course, shortly afterwards, he was so strongly affected by her saddened expression that he'd promised that he would change. Not only to _change_,mind you, but he'd promised to change for _her. _He frowned. How he would come about changing, however, was completely unseen to him. Now what he found intriguing was the fact that her face had a great enough effect on him to make him say things that he wasn't even intending to follow through with. False promises. Lies.

Or were they?

Would he actually change for her?

He began to question his own decisions. Not even decisions- mere thoughts. This was, indeed, strange. No one ever questioned or second-guessed his ideas. It was a rule that was attatched to his character. But now he was breaking his own rule, doubting himself, finding a truth that perhaps he'd overlooked.

Had he already changed?

Taking into account all of differences he'd discovered about himself in the passed fifteen minutes really made him wonder. Maybe he didn't _have _to change for her. Maybe _she _was already changing him.

Which was silly since, after all, the reason that he was supposed to be going out with her was simply to accomplish his portion of a bet. For the upteenth time he reminded himself, that there were no emotional attatchments involved in a bet.

_Then this must be more than a bet, _he told himself.

He chose to ignore that last thought.

A voice echoing from around an upcoming corner in an intercepting hallway stopped him.

"That #$%! What a loser!"

The voice was unfamiliar. It was definitely female, low and drawling, and he remained stalk-still, listening as the voice grew louder, footsteps getting closer. "Why the #$% would Ino stand up for that ugly freak?"

This girl didn't like Ino? Sasuke decided to listen in.

"If she says anything about us, she'll find herself with more than just a head injury." By now, the speaker and a small trailing group had reached the interception between the two hallways. But she was so preoccupied that she didn't even notice Sasuke standing there. He unwillingly took in her image: revolting, red hair, revealing clothing, a strong, repulsive scent and an overall intimidating image. He cringed, but suddenly paused. He recognized the other girls with her. They were fangirls who he often saw following Ino around. Who was this new girl and why were they following her? Why were they suddenly hating Ino? Was the new girl a fangirl?

They continued walking straight, and Sasuke (who wasn't usually interested in gossip), silently followed, curious.

"I honestly thought they hated each other! And Ino was after Sasuke too, right?" Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of his own name. "I really don't get it. But if she's on her side, she'll definately rat us out. But it doesn't mean that anyone will actually believe her. And still, I didn't mean to hurt the girl that much. It was just a gentle shove. I thought she could take it." The red-head's voice was anxious and brooding.

The group of girls disappeared behind a bathroom door, forcing him out of hearing-range. He continued walking passed the door, down the hall and towards the stairway that led to his locker. His mind was piecing together new facts at a rapid, incomprehensible speed. He was involved. He had no idea what the situation was, or how that red-head knew him, but he was involved.

His mind pieced together the information like a puzzle. Of what he'd heard, this is what he understood: The red-head just did something wrong without getting caught, Ino was aware of the situation and was most likely going to tell, someone got hurt in the mess and somehow, it sounded like he was the reason for the whole problem. But how?

There was a piece missing.

But his head throbbed again, so he let the topic slide. Then the bell rang, so he picked up his pace, wanting to beat the crowd. He soon approached his locker and swung it open, grabbing the materials for the next class. He noted the words, _"Sakura Haruno's Boyfriend" _on his supplies. He recalled how Sakura had referred to them as being 'cute'. He smiled. He had been right. Sakura probably _did _want him to show her more affection. She was probably just waiting for him to make a move. That must have been why she'd seem to cherish every considerate display he put on for her. He remembered the gentle gleam in her eye that he'd seen after giving her the pack of Gummy Bears at the movie. Now that look, he decided, was something that he wanted to see more often. No more sadness.

Before going to the classroom, he grabbed a marker and on the inside of his locker door, in his neat, slanted letters, he wrote:

_Sakura Haruno's Boyfriend_

* * *

He was early to class. He sat at his usual desk in the corner, and waited. He was anxious now, and he didn't bother denying it, to see her. He imagined the sparkle in her eyes, her welcoming smile, and something in his chest tingled with anticipation. He stared at the door as students began to file in, taking their seats. Seeing how Sakura hadn't been around during lunchtime, he expected that he'd have felt relieved for not having had to try to impress her- constantly give her attention. But instead, he felt a little empty. And bored.

Being in a relationship didn't turn out being so much of a burden after all.

_Relationship? _a voice in his head reminded him. _This bet is anything but a relationship. You're only with her to scare off your fangirls and get girls out of your life entirely! _

Shikamaru then walked in the room, greeting Sasuke with a casual nod. Sasuke returned it. "So what were you up to?" he asked, easing into the chair on Sasuke's right.

"Just taking some time to cool my head," he answered with a sigh.

"Ah," Shikamaru replied, nodding again. This was what he liked about Shikamaru. He didn't ask stupid questions or linger on a topic too long. He was short and to the point.

"How about you?"

"Same."

Sasuke decided to drop the conversation and a silence followed. He watched Naruto and Hinata walk in together, Naruto courteously moving aside to let her in first. Hinata caught Sasuke's eye and kept hers locked on his, right up until she took her seat in front of him (even as she helped Naruto to his feet after he'd tripped on a desk leg). She turned around immediately. "Have you seen Sakura?" she asked politely. Sasuke could hardly hide his surprise. She'd never spoken to him before. He'd figured that she was too scared to.

"No," he answered calmly. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged. "Nothing," she said. "Usually she's here earlier. That's all." She turned back around.

"Oh." His thoughts were drawn back to her. Before he could start worrying, he told himself that she was probably just taking her time at her Science class.

But his heart still gave a lurch when the bell rang.

His eyes darted around the room, searching for conclusions. To his relief, the door knob turned moments later, but it was Kakashi, their teacher, who entered the room. "Sorry kids. I was lost on the path of life." Rather than chuckling or even groaning at his teacher's pathetic excuse, Sasuke strained his neck to catch a glimpse of the hallway over Kakashi's shoulder, but it was enpty. His heart pounded as the door closed with a _click_.

Kakashi drifted to his desk as usual, but Hinata turned again and caught his eye. His brow was now furrowed, his fingers nervously drumming on his kneecap. Where was she?

Kakashi began the lesson, but Sasuke was having difficulty focusing. His eyes were compulsively and instinctively snapping in the direction of the door, glancing out the narrow, rectangle window for a wisp of pink.

Kakashi was having difficulty getting the classes attention, especially because of the noise out the window. There were voices, and the sound of a stationary, running veichle- a rumbling engine. He shut it and continued.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Sasuke fought the urge to sprint over and answer it. Of course, Kakashi slowly paced across the classroom, carefully turning the handle and opening it tardily.

All hope was eradicated when a new figure entered the room.

It was Ino.

At least, Sasuke was sure it was. This was an Ino he'd never seen before. Her bleach-blonde hair was ruffled, clumped strands bunched into her messy ponytail. Her make-up was smudged down her eyes, tear-tracks popping out against her powered cheeks. Her baby blue eyes were much duller than usual, and her face was paled. He felt Shikamaru shift. This entrance gave a whole new meaning to the term "fashionably late".

Sasuke figured that he shouldn't have been so surprised. He knew something had happened to her at lunch. But it certainly hadn't seemed as bad it did now. Ino was always getting herself into trouble, but this was just ridiculous. She'd never let herself be seen in public in this state if she was in her right mind.

"Kakashi-sensei, can I have a word with you?"

The class was dead-silent. Students were exchanging wide-eyed glances, but no one spoke. The eerie oblivion remained as Kakashi and Ino lowered their voices so no one could hear them. Ino spoke with her head bowed, eyes closed and lips hardly moving.

The class stared, straining their ears. Ino's eyes flickered to his when Sasuke suddenly heard words echoing in his head.

_ "I honestly thought they hated each other! And Ino was after Sasuke too, right?"_

_ "But if she's on her side, she'll definately rat us out. But it doesn't mean that anyone will actually believe her. And still, I didn't mean to hurt the girl that much. It was just a gentle shove. I thought she could take it."_

Something clicked. Only one person could play the role of the unmentioned girl in the red-head's story.

Sasuke was on his feet in an instant. Ignoring stares, he made a bee-line to the front of the room. Kakashi turned with surprise, and Ino watched him until he was a foot in front of her. He watched her eyes widen with fear, her lips pressed into a thin line, as she shrunk beneath his towering form.

"Where is Sakura?" he demanded, not bothering to whisper.

Ino opened her mouth, but quickly closed it, trembling. Her back was pressed against a wall and there was no escaping his menacing glare. "Gone," she breathed, her voice still toned down.

"Gone?" he repeated furiously, waiting for her to cut to the chase.

Ino looked down, no longer able to look at his intimidating eyes. "To the hospital," she continued quietly.

"Why? What happened?" He forced calmness into his voice, but his hands were shaking. She didn't answer. "WHAT HAPPENED?" he thundered, anger coming to a boil.

Ino jerked her head up once again, raising her voice as she answered. "She...," she began. "Her... skull was fractured. They took her to emergency."

The other students gasped, and Sasuke saw Hinata's hands fly up to cover her mouth. The room was filled with imperative whispering.

Sasuke left.

* * *

**Chapter 10 Reviewers:**

_mistyfire's code is secure, luna starz, XxXTsukiakari HogoshaXxX, Livvy22, maximumride24, Akatsuki Child, experiment15, MiMiSora4EVR23, Angel Dying Red, Here'sMeBeingSilly, sasukeXsakura- lover, SJ.P6er, Sleepless. Procrastinator, ToraHimeSama, AliKat12, rikuxoxo, xladykittyx, kt., alayneni, LOVEno-one, FallenxEmoxAngel, xxTheEmoKitKatxx, sasusaku2203, momoko.13, Anonomus, sister of sasuke uchiha, RPWriters and ContestCutie411. _

Some of them were real tear-jerkers! I can't thank you enough! I owe you all soooo much! :'D

* * *

**-Chapter 12: Escape-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	12. Escape

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THIS STORY HAS A NEW FORMAT! EVERY CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED, REWRITTEN, RE-FORMATTED AND REPLACED! IF YOU WERE PLANNING ON RE-READING THIS STORY, NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME! ^_^ (and I MEAN re-formatted! I even added quotes into Chapter 1 and changed the title for Chapter 6!)**_

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Lift Me Up_- Kate Voegele (Inspirational / Pop)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

* * *

**-Chapter 12-**

**Escape**

**_________________**

_Pat. Pat. Pat. B-bump. B-bump. Pat. Pat. Pat. B-bump. B-bump._

It is unsafe for one so consumed with indecision to act impulsively. Such impulses lead to exorbitant reactions and merciless attempts to grasp a decisive answer. Sudden bursts of panic lead to some of the most dangerous emotions known to mankind, including lust, revenge, violence, intemperance and rebellion. All are outcomes of clouded judgement. Of sudden thrills or fears. Exhilaration is not necessarily a good thing.

Completely disoriented and uncoordinated, Sasuke Uchiha was running through the halls of his school. Pangs of shock continued to pulse through his veins. Words raced through his throbbing head. He kept a slow, careful pace. But not too slow. He was in a hurry. But not too fast. Causing a disruption to the surrounding rooms would lead to further trouble, and his left foot wouldn't allow a quicker speed. He was in a hurry. But he didn't know where he was headed. Or why he was really headed there, for that matter. He was following his instincts. And he was afraid to doubt himself, since he probably had no logical answer to back up his actions.

It was too late to turn back anyways.

So he might as well pretend that he knew what he was doing.

Light pooled in through an upcoming window. Sasuke pressed himself against it, his eyes darting across the abandoned football field, searching for conclusions. Nothing. He needed an answer. He needed some information, some material to work with. He needed a goal, a target. Something to work for. Something to chase. He needed another window. Suddenly aware of his own reflection, Sasuke continued his frantic jog.

Three more he crossed, all bearing emptiness. Fists clenched with a newfound fury, he raced towards the end of the hall where the final window awaited. He kept his eyes locked on it as he drew nearer, daring, _threatening _it to refuse to satisfy him. If it chose defiance, he'd smash it to pieces. And crush those pieces to nothingness. After all, that's what they'd be worth to him. Nothing.

"_Come on_," he growled before slamming his hands to the glass, before beginning his visual search. At once his eyes flickered across the school grounds. He traced the line of portables with his index finger, abruptly freezing at the isolated parking lot at its end. From which a little white and red truck was pulling out. He was filled with relief. Finally, an answer. Evidence. An ambulance.

His breathing hitched. An ambulance. Now there was no doubt that Ino's words had been true. With a sickening lurch, he remembered who was inside that little truck. Words echoed through his skull, leaving invisible bruises with each reverberating bounce.

_Hosiptal… Gentle shove…Emergency… Fractured skull…Gone…_

"Sakura," he whispered, weaving together the facts, cringing in pain. He felt like he was weaving a knot. There was no way to avoid the truth. The more he weaved, the harder it hit him. Sakura Haruno was in that ambulance. She was going to the hospital. Her skull was fractured and would be taken straight into Emergency. She was gone.

And he was going to follow her.

He was accelerating back down the hall before he could change his mind. He fumbled with his lock, and on his third attempt, when he completed the combination without error, he yanked it down sharply and pried the locker door open. Once again, he was overwhelmed with words. Words scrawled in sharpie marker. He chose to ignore them.

He snatched his navy blue jacket with excessive force, and checked his coat pockets for change. Thirty dollars. More than enough. He slammed the door shut and continued at a brisk pace while shrugging his arms into the sleeves. Naruto and Shikamaru would take care of the books he left in Kakashi's class. He was as ready as he could be.

He reached the first floor and began crossing the wide atrium. But just then he spied Ibiki, his _favourite_ gym teacher, leaving the staff room. "Oh _#$%_," Sasuke mumbled, slipping behind a vast, marble pier. Ibiki moved slowly, _too_ slowly. To his irritation, Ibiki even paused to read a poster for the basketball team's cake auction. He faintly wondered whether he'd make it to the front doors if he made a break for it. But he countered that idea by deciding that he'd better not push his luck. Not just yet.

When he was through reading the poster, he drifted closer and paused directly opposite to Sasuke, reading something on the pier. Sasuke's escape plans began to disgorge. _Idiot_, Sasuke thought with distaste. _He gets pissed at me for not doing anything in class… And now, when he should be _hosting_ one, he comes out to the atrium to read posters. Wow. _Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ibiki turned down a hall towards the gymnasiums and vanished from view. Relieved, Sasuke made his way towards the doors with large strides, avoiding any further possible encounters with teachers. The closer he got, however, the more his worries faded. He was so close to freedom… He cautiously glanced from side to side before embarking.

And his eyes met those of the school secretary, Shizune, who was sitting in the office's front desk.

Struggling to look cool and composed, he flicked his wrist in a friendly waving motion. She nodded but kept her eyes locked on him, daring him to take another step towards the doors. _Come on! Don't you recognize me? I'm a good student!_ he pleaded internally. But her eyes didn't waver. Gritting his teeth and balling his fists, Sasuke came to a conclusion.

_Frankly, I don't give a #$% anymore._

He bolted to the doors.

This wasn't one of the smartest conclusions he'd ever made, but it was the only option he figured he had. He was sure that Shizune's eyes were widening with terror, and that she was now rising to her feet. She would surely page a custodian, or perhaps even a teacher, Ibiki maybe, to chase him down. But what did that matter? It just gave him a reason to run faster. The tendons in his foot were screaming for him to stop, but he ignored them. He would definitely _not_ let his foot give way. Not now.

He reached the outskirts of the school's property without a backwards glance. It wasn't the time for regret. Although he knew that he would be punished first thing when he re-entered that building. Or maybe even sooner. Shizune was probably leaving him a nice, lengthy message on his answering machine. But what was the worst case scenario? Kakashi was overall a chill teacher, but it was still obligatory for him to punish students who ditched class. A couple of detentions, maybe? And now that Shizune was involved, the vice principals would soon be informed. Could he be suspended?

Was this worth it?

He knew that this was stupid. Very, very stupid. He was doing this for a bet. No, scratch that. He didn't have to be doing this at all. He could have pretended that he'd never known about her injury. In a week or so, Sakura would return to school, and Sasuke would ask her what happened and offer her support. And plus, a whole week of the bet would have been wasted. He'd be that much closer to ending the whole mess.

_This is more than a bet,_ said a familiar voice at the back of his head. He swallowed hard at the concept.

It didn't matter anyways. It was too late to turn around.

Planning ahead, Sasuke went to a bus stop around the corner, hidden from the school. If someone _was_ chasing after him, they'd expect him to be waiting at the stop across the street. He glanced up at the little sign suspended above the stop, bearing bus numbers. He vaguely realized that he hadn't the slightest idea which one he'd be taking.

He carefully scrutinized the little map on the bus pole, attempting to visualize the direction of the nearest hospital. He did know that it was somewhere in the city. He followed the routes to the city's core, where they started looking an awful lot like a coloured spider web. But he was forced to speed up his decision-making when he caught sight of a bus rumbling around the corner. Quickly realizing that he could take this bus to the city's border (where he'd have to transfer to another one), he waved it down and hopped on.

He took his time fingering through his change, but noticed that the bus hadn't started moving yet. He glanced up at the driver curiously, who, to his annoyance, was staring at him. "Don't you ought to be in school?" he asked, cocking a brow.

"No," Sasuke replied sharply while dropping a few coins into the slot. He snatched his transfer and stormed towards the back of the bus. He let his anger drown out the repentance. What would his father say to the situation? He let the thought slide.

The bus was nearly empty so there was a great seating selection. He settled on a spot near the middle with easy access to a door. As he eased into his seat and felt the bus roar back to life, the world grew distant. He watched it pass by, colours and shapes beginning to move through the window. He felt like he was in a movie. He was aware of what was going on but he didn't feel it like it was reality.

His thoughts sucked him into another world entirely.

To his displeasure, they carried his mind straight back to where his previous train of thoughts left off. The exasperatingly provoking voice returned.

_You know this is more than just a bet. That's why you avoid thinking about it._

This was one of the scarce moments in his life when he had no retort. But not because he agreed with the voice. Of course he didn't. He just didn't want to start a fight within his own mind because that was straight out weird. _That _would be like pulling a Rock Lee. Not cool.

He suddenly recalled what was in his pocket; the sculpture Rock Lee had hand-crafted for Sakura. The repulsive, lumpy Gai-sensei figurine that resembled an ostrich. _Oh that,_ he thought with a shudder. He made a mental note not to remove it from his pocket until he was alone, as a feeble attempt to save his reputation.

He decided to change the subject before he felt sick. Whoops. Bad idea. The voice returned.

_Sakura Haruno has changed you. _

He gave up his attempt to retain coolness and argued back. _No. I'm the same as I've always been,_ he thought.

_Then why are you here?_

His fingers drummed against his kneecap. _Because this is… an act?_

_Ha. You hesitated. _

Sasuke ignored the voice's final remark and ended the argument. _Shut up._

He found himself wondering about Ino, which was incredibly uncommon for him, mind you. Her out-of-character appearance had really gotten under his skin. She'd struck him as the kind of person who cared about how she looked. She and the creepy red-head were both involved in Sakura's head-injury incident. Had the two ganged up on her? Sasuke's mouth went dry at the thought. If that was the case, then this was _his _fault. Ino might have a vengeful side. And the other girl was pretty much the smuttiest person he'd ever seen (so she was most likely a fangirl)… So maybe she'd agreed to join her in a Sakura-pummelling session?

His stomach twisted painfully at his bitter choice of words. _Way to freak yourself out_, he thought, rolling his eyes.

He suddenly realized that he was wrong.

No. Ino didn't have a vengeful side. Why would she admit to him that Sakura had a fractured skull? It didn't make sense for her to confess her own crime. Even she wasn't that stupid. He minded some of the red-head's words:

_"I honestly thought they hated each other! And Ino was after Sasuke too, right?"_

_"But if she's on her side, she'll definately rat us out. But it doesn't mean that anyone will actually believe her. And still, I didn't mean to hurt the girl that much. It was just a gentle shove. I thought she could take it."_

A-ha. So the red-head was in this alone. And Ino had… defended Sakura? He shook his head. No way, that was too much to absorb. Avoiding a head explosion at all costs, he changed the subject again.

He casually wondered whether the bet was working. Its progress was equivocal. Well, after the dramatic display he'd made in front of the class, he was certain that even the class idiots were aware of their relationship. Or at least, that he had strong enough feelings for her to put his own social status on the line to chase her down. _Wow. Putting it in those words really makes me sound like a love-struck loser_. He chuckled nervously. Oh crap. Naruto and Shikamaru would never live this down.

With a pleasant jolt, Sasuke realized that he'd made a public display of affection. But something told him that this didn't really count. Neji and Tenten were always together, always making official demonstrations that their relationship was strong. Physically. He felt like he needed to do something more for her. Something to protect the gentle, alluring light in her eyes. Something physical. But what?

Hold her hand? Give her a hug? Touch her face? Kiss her?

Wait, hold on. Kiss her? Was he honestly planning to _kiss _her? Well obviously not _now_. She was in the hospital for crying out loud, so it was totally out of question.

But _when_?

His stomach was flipping. Would he end up kissing her before the end of the bet? Before he'd been absolutely certain that he wouldn't. But now was a whole other matter. He doubted his will power. She was making him do strange things.

_Wait! Are you saying that you _want_ to kiss her?_

Frickin' voice. It just had to butt in and make his life that much more uncomfortable.

But he didn't answer it.

* * *

Her head was throbbing.

When her eyes opened a crack, the bright lights were overwhelming. Consuming. Her head spun. Why bother waking up when it was so peaceful, so soothing to stay in a dark, painless, stress-free, unconscious world? But she'd reached a point of no return. She stretched her lids open with all of her energy.

"You're awake," an unfamiliar voice noted. Sakura made no attempt to respond. Her pulsing brain drowned out her voice. "Are you thirsty?"

She croaked a tiny answer. "Yes."

Her reclining bed rose and a glass was pressed to her lips. She hadn't been aware of her drying throat until the cool water cleansed it. "Thank you," she said quietly, her voice no longer cracking. "My head's really sore. Do you have any pain killers?" she asked quickly, her words a little slurred.

The nurse chuckled. "That's the dehydration kicking in. Your head's already been stitched up and numbed. And the blood transfusion is complete. All you need to do is drink up and you'll be better in no time."

"Blood transfusion?" Sakura repeated, dumbfounded.

"For blood loss," the nurse clarified. Sakura was suddenly feeling sick.

"How many stitches?"

"Six. It could have been worse. You're lucky."

She didn't find that very relieving. "Did you have to cut any hair?" she asked, not bothering to hide her panic.

"Yes," the nurse said, laughing again. "But don't sweat it; you're layers cover it up."

Now she was a little more relieved. But it was hard to tell. Her spinning head was distorting her thoughts. "Good," she said with a sigh and another sip of water.

A second nurse poked her head in from the corridor. "Sakura Haruno? I have good news."

Sakura's eyes shifted in the direction of the door. "Yeah?"

"Your mother got the call. She's on her way."

* * *

The bus screeched to a halt and Sasuke rose to his feet. The doors sprung open and he began taking a step forward.

But his foot gave way.

His entire body convulsed as he reached for a pole to support his weight. His breathing deepened. His thoughts were consumed by a burning, ripping pain.

The doors shut.

"Wait!"

* * *

**Chapter 11 Reviewers:**

_AkatsukiGrl101, soulberry, kt., teqila shots, xCrazyKindOvWeirdx, fumiko-chan, MiMiSora2EVR23, Dragon Jadefire, saku_chan, Akatsuki Child, Itami Akihiro, bluehinata96, Livvy22, experiment15, Unfortunate Angel, alayneni, MissSaki, sasusaku2203, ToraHimeSama, -rose927-, sakusasu, Karasu Chiyuki, Unknown Personality, ILoveKanda, ShatteredEpiphany, SasusakuShuukalvr95, Black-Blossom234396, ayame_81131 and Here'sMeBeingSilly_ !!!

You guys really keep me going!!!! Seriously! I was going to save writing this chapter until after my trip to the U.S., but after I re-read some of your reviews... I said NO WAY!! THESE GUYS DESERVE AND UPDATE NOWW!!! :D

**Very, VERY important author's note: I posted a VIDEO TRAILER for this story on youtube! (made by yours truly ;) ) The link is as the top of my profile! PLEASE WATCH IT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!!**

**I also have a new drawing on deviantART for this story. It's the third deviantART link in my profile.**

**This message is for _saku_chan_: You scored Gaara on your quiz! If you want some details (stats and a bit about "who you are" based on the results), do you have an e-mail or something I could send them to??

* * *

**-Chapter 13: Taking a Chance-**

Time to REVIEW! :)


	13. Taking a Chance

_Just a Game __// __wolf08_

_**A twisted tale of crafty deceptions, sharp obstructions, tangled bonds and true love… Roll the die. Let destiny unfold. After all, it's just a game…**_

***Authors Note**: I've kept this story relatively PG [ish] , by using the symbols #$% to represent vulgar language. However, the odd word or theme does slip through, so readers' digression is advised.

* * *

Weekly Song: _Wrapped in Your Arms_ - Fireflight (Inspirational / Rock)

**Declaimer:** The characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto©, author and artist of the _Naruto_ series. However, this plot is rightfully mine.

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Get ready to sink your teeth into my fluffiest chapter yet!!!!_**

* * *

**-Chapter 13-**

**Taking a Chance**

**_________________**

As the harsh, surprising truth finally began to settle in, the echoing pulsations within her skull began to subside, dulling with each throb. Her skull had been mildly fractured, and she'd nearly met her death from rapid blood loss, but somehow, everything was going to be okay. Her head was stitched up, the transfusion had been a complete success, her mother was on the way and everything was perfectly alright.

Other than the fact that a strange, freaky new girl named Karin was out to get her, steal away her boyfriend and pretty much ruin her life for reasons unbeknownst to her, everything was perfectly alright.

Despite her attempts to clear her head of all stress and negativity, the ditzy booty-shorts-wearing, cleavage-exposing red-head kept managing to slither her way back into Sakura's mind. Not once in her life (besides their encounter in parking lot) did Sakura recall crossing paths with Karin. In fact, she was quite certain that they'd never met. And Sakura was sure that Karin didn't know anything about her either—anything besides one fact: she was preventing her from having Sasuke to herself. Sakura cringed as she recollected parts of their previous conversation.

_"Let's clear one thing up now, shall we?" Karin said, suddenly serious. "If you and Sasuke don't break up by the end of the day, I will be your worst nightmare."_

And Sakura had flat-out refused. She'd stood her ground. I mean, why the heck would Sakura hand her boyfriend over to another girl? Especially a cheap, greedy, one-track-minded one? There was simply _no way in hell_. But that girl had remained true to her words. After all, since their encounter, Karin really_ had_ become her worst nightmare. One big creepy, swanky nightmare that caused her physical and mental pain. And not to mention, a near-death experience.

She had also gone to drastic measures to prove her point. Although Sakura's head injury seemed to surprise Karin as much as herself at the time, she had an itching feeling that Karin was not disappointed with the outcome. "_Let's get out of here!"_ she'd heard Karin cry just before Sakura's lids slipped shut. Her mindless cronies had immediately obeyed, leaving Sakura behind in a growing pool of her own blood. If Karin had the slightest tad of compassion, she would have at least attempted to halt the blood flow or maybe even just stuck around to see if Sakura would be okay. But contradictorily, Karin had bolted from the scene of the crime without a moment's hesitation.

It was almost silly how her sudden yearning for Sasuke had pushed her so far to inflict pain upon an innocent girl. But innocent didn't even begin to describe it; Sakura was a person who was consumed by self-effacement and modesty. She didn't deserve this. Sure Sasuke was the hottest guy in the school, or perhaps even in the country. In fact, as far as Sakura was concerned, Sasuke was the hottest guy on the frickin planet. But that was still no reason to cause pain to another human being. Karin was obviously lacking more than just class—she was lacking moral standards.

This girl was more trouble than Ino.

Sakura regretted bringing up Sasuke in her train of thoughts, because she soon found that they were uncontrollably drawn to and focused on him.

She vaguely wondered how he would react when he found out about Sakura's little _incident_. Would he hear about it through rumors? Surely Karin would use the situation to boast about her superiority, and Sasuke would probably be the first person she'd tell. Or maybe he'd be curious about her absence in Math? Her friends, Hinata and Tenten, would be sure to worry. But would he?

Although his mild displays of affection were believable, something told her that this was all too good to be true. The chances of her dream guy (who she'd never even talked to) asking her out was so slim (but turned out being her wonderful reality) that it seemed a little suspicious. She had also been given the slight impression that he wasn't taking their relationship as seriously as she was. He always showed up late—not too late, but still late enough for Sakura to panic and let her imagination run wild.

Sasuke was also very reserved. Was he hesitant? Or was that just his personality? Either way, he was exceptionally skilled at masking his true feelings and intentions. Which could mean that he was a good liar. For all she knew, behind that poker face was a one-track minded guy who really only wanted to get in her pants from the beginning. Maybe that really _wasn't_ his first date? Maybe he really was working with Ino behind her back? Maybe he thought this was all one big amusing game?

A pang of sadness rushed through her at the concept.

Then sudden waves of pain shot up to her head, spinning the world out of focus. Sakura's trembling fingers grasped the water glass on the side table and she took a shaky sip. She pressed a red button on her left and lowered her recliner bed, figuring that a peaceful sleep would take away the pain.

Then she remembered the short moment when she'd thought about Sasuke just before falling unconscious in the parking lot. She'd cried out, seeking happiness, comfort. Just thinking about his face, his touch… For only a fleeting moment, her pain was gone—just before all of her feelings slipped away entirely.

Whether or not she was falling into his trap, one thing was absolute:

She'd fallen for him.

* * *

After a series of demands and threats, the Uchiha heir somehow managed to convince the driver to abandon his strict route and turn the bus around. Ignoring the driver's disgruntled mumbles about low pay checks, Sasuke stuck to his lie—requesting that the driver brought him as close to the hospital as possible so he could receive immediate attention to his foot.

Acting was certainly not his forte, but at least he didn't have to pretend he was limping. His stupid foot, which was finally reacting to the strain from Sasuke's journey, could no longer support his weight. Sasuke was putting on a miraculous display of clinging to the bus-pole for dear life (because he actually _was_), and his curses and heavy breaths were quite real. The driver had been so close to refusing him too, but after gritting his teeth and recalling the old saying, _"Desperate times call for desperate measures_", Sasuke positioned his face directly in front of the drivers', gave him the most menacing glare possible and growled, "Listen, if my foot is not attended to _immediately_, I'll lose my #$%-ing ability to walk! So how about you turn this bus around before I break something of yours?" The driver's expression fell somewhere between stunned and severely pissed. But after averting his eyes and grumbling, "…_creepy punk_…", he swerved the bus around.

Sasuke felt his tense muscles loosen and his mind wash with relief when the hospital finally came into view. His destination was within reach. The escape was complete. The escape from the school—the prowling teachers, the prying peers; from his own thoughts—the doubts, the deceptions; from the bet… From the bet. It hit him like a slap in the face. This escape, this risk, this sacrificial _risk_… was really just his subconscious way of escaping from the bet. Escaping from his real reason for being devoted to Sakura. He had obliviously been trying to find his own reason for being devoted to her. A new logic. A new set of rules to follow.

But why?

Oh, he knew why. He knew exactly why. And it was for this very reason that he doubted his will power whenever she was around.

His body trembled uncomfortably for reasons that did not involve his convulsing foot. In attempt to lead his mind away from what he was about to admit, and avoid at all costs that the pestering voice wouldn't return to the back of his head, he absent-mindedly wondered whether he was at the right hospital.

But his thought was rendered useless when the voice whispered,

_You've fallen for her._

* * *

Sakura's peaceful slumber was ended by a nurse. "Are you awake?" the woman whispered, giving Sakura's shoulder a gentle shake.

Her eyes flickered open and her body stirred immediately. She attempted to prop herself up onto her elbows as she replied, "Yeah." Noticing her struggle to lift her body up, the nurse pressed a button, raising the recliner bed. "Thanks," Sakura murmured, easing back into the pillows.

"Do you feel better?" the nurse asked, walking around the bed to the large window on its left, throwing back the curtains.

Sakura rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and let out a stifled yawn. "Y-yeah." She peeked through her fingers and her eyes lingered on something colourful in the nurse's hand. She realized that the nurse was in here for something other than a routine check-up. "So… what's up?" she asked, getting down to business.

"These are for you," the nurse replied bluntly, brandishing a beautiful bouquet of flowers in Sakura's direction.

"Oh," she said, taking them with shaky fingers, rotating the colourful package around, searching for a note or a tag. She found one and flipped it open. She blinked several times, figuring that her eyes had not adjusted since her nap. But no matter how many times she re-read it, the words remained unchanging.

_Get well, Sakura._

_-Ino_

Was this supposed to be some sort of joke? And how on earth did Ino find out that Sakura was in the hospital? Unless she was in on Karin's plans…? Sakura chuckled darkly. She wouldn't put it passed the sly blonde.

As a second nurse flung open the door, Sakura, who was suddenly feeling disgusted for clutching the package of flowers, tossed it onto the side-table without sparing it another glance.

"You have a visitor," the nurse announced to the room at large. Sakura exhaled with relief. It was about time her mother showed up. Then the new nurse motioned for the one by the window to come closer. Once they were a couple feet apart, she said in an undertone, _"I was close to refusing because of her weak state, but this one was really persistent"_.

Sakura's breathing hitched. This couldn't be her mother.

Was Ino here? Had these flowers been sent as a heads-up or a warning? Could she be here to finish Sakura off on Karin's orders?

Sakura's arms flexed defensively as a new figure slowly rounded the corner, resting a hand on the side of the door frame.

Her mouth went dry. Her eyes were stretched so wide that they grew sore. Her hands shook. Her lips quivered.

Her brain couldn't conjure up a sentence or even a simple phrase, so she whispered the name of the newcomer.

"_Sasuke_..," she breathed.

And so it was. In all of his glory, with a carefully blank expression, infallibly matted and spiked black locks and a flawless, pale complexion stood Sasuke Uchiha—the most gorgeous boy in the world. To any other person, his dark eyes looked glazed and unfocused, but Sakura felt like she was being X-Rayed under his penetrating stare. His lips were slightly parted, and Sakura could tell that like her, words escaped him. The nurses at the doorway stepped back to give him room to approach the bed. It was then that Sakura noticed that his hand was clamped on the doorframe to support his weight. He was hardly able to stand.

Sakura's first impulse was to spring to her feet and grab him, but in her current position, that was out of question. As he approached the bedside, Sakura's heart nearly thumped itself right out of her chest. When he drew nearer, his exhaustion became apparent, although he was attempting to conceal it behind a gorgeous mask. And he was gorgeous.

Sakura suddenly felt very, very ugly. Exposed and unworthy.

He seemed to notice her saddened and uncomfortable expression so he stopped, hesitating, with his brow furrowed. Sakura cursed her self-consciousness. It was keeping him away, dammit! The nurses seemed to sense that the tension in the air was a form of dismissal, so they quietly left, carefully closing the door behind them. _Click_.

The mild distraction somehow helped Sakura find her voice. "Why… are you here?"

He was a little surprised and disappointed by her reaction. Her words were blunt and had the potential to hold such a wide range of hidden meanings. He opted it best not to linger on those possibilities. But instead of being honest with his answer, he said, "To, um, deliver something."

_No_, Sakura thought. _No, no, no! It can't be Ino's flowers! It can't!_ Her heart was racing for new reasons.

Noticing that her lips were pierced and her eyebrows were pinching together, he elaborated. "It's a hand-crafted gift," he said, clearing his throat and reaching into his pocket, "from Lee. He… he made it especially for you. It's supposed to be Gai. I know it doesn't look much like him, though. I was going to give it to you in Math, but seeing how you were gone… I, uh… thought I'd better find you." He brought his explanation to a quick close, knowing that she was probably doing anything but believing his excuse. He placed the ostrich-resembling clay sculpture on the bedside table next to a bouquet of colourful flowers.

As expected, her response was skeptical. "So you ditched school to deliver me _that_?" she asked with a cocked brow. A corner of her mouth rose to form a mocking half-smile. With a rush of relief, Sasuke noted that she didn't look sad.

"Yeah. I… um… did." He felt his excuse take a terrible downspin. Unless Sakura was incredibly stupid (and she wasn't), she would not be fooled. These sorts of lies only worked on Naruto. She bit her lip. She was restraining something—either a laugh or maybe tears. He wasn't sure. And he wasn't about to risk that it was the latter. He forced a chuckle. "I mean, I _didn't_," he admitted, contradicting his previous statement. "I guess I'm returning a favor to you. You helped me out the other night. You know, with my foot. And so I came when I heard about… Well, I just figured that you might need someone." She didn't answer. The silence prolonged and deepened.

Sasuke wasn't sure if it was because he couldn't bear to look at her in her current, weakened state, or if it was because he was afraid of her reaction to his previous confession, but either way, he sat himself down onto the edge of her bed and faced the door. Her questioning gaze was making it so much harder for him to concentrate.

And he was not ready for it when her hand touched his face.

He snapped his head back in her direction and bravely stared into her eyes. But her eyes were curious, wide with wonder, flickering across his face, scrutinizing every fine detail. He didn't find her green orbs intimidating. In fact, they were quite inviting, quite amazing.

Her fingertips traced the line of his jaw carefully, adoringly. Sasuke was given the impression that she was trying to determine whether or not he was real. Her second hand slid up the length of his neck, leaving a path of tingling sensations as an aftereffect from her touch. Her fingers reached the strands of hair at the base of his head, and she ran her fingertips through them, still curious. Her other hand was still tracing his jaw. He didn't move a muscle.

She finally spoke, very softly. "You… you don't have to be here," she whispered, stating an observation that she found most intriguing. Sasuke, who thought that her statement was an accusation, grew a little defensive.

Averting his eyes, he said, "I know. It was stupid of me… Sorry. I… don't know why I-," but she cut him off with a quiet, "It's fine." Sasuke wondered why he'd bothered replying. It was pointless; he couldn't even think straight enough to come up with a decent argument.

"But promise me one thing."

Sasuke's eyes darted towards hers again, but she was staring into her lap. He realized that her hands were frozen in place—one was tangled in his hair, and the other had moved down to the collar of his blue jacket. His mind totally blanked when he felt her arms shaking. Whatever she was about to say was at the tip of her tongue, but she was holding it back. Her lips trembled until they formed a weak smile. That was the last he saw of her face before she pulled his head down.

She held him so closely, so tightly. She pulled herself into a sitting position and pressed the sides of their faces together before she said, "Just…," – her body was shaking against his –"Just don't leave!" It was Sasuke's turn to freeze.

He could tell she was crying. Her face was now buried into his shoulder, dampening the material at his collar. Maybe it was her tears that set him off, because suddenly, his arms were around her and he was pressing her back into the reclined bed with nothing to hide.

Sasuke's enclosure made her feel so warm and secure. A combination of the snug blankets and his body made her feel so safe. Her troubles were melted away. It was then she realized that it had been insane for her to have ever doubted his loyalty. Everything she ever wanted was right here, pressed to her body, and it was that strengthening thought that urged her to pull him in even tighter. And when he whispered, "Ok", her tears poured out, fell from her face and chin. All of her suppressed feelings were finally being freed. He was her shoulder to cry on.

Sasuke had never truly considered the concept of romance until now. He now understood how Neji felt. Whether or not this display was public, he could feel at the pit of his stomach that this was something he needed. All of the sacrifice was worth it. He wanted to protect her—from danger, from his fangirls. He wanted her to depend on him and feel safe.

His instincts began to take over.

He shifted his head to rest it at the pit of her neck, slowly raising it until it was under her chin, and finally he pulled his head back so he could look at her. Her slender form froze beneath him and her hands stopped tousling with his hair. Besides the fact that they were a little red and tear-stained, her eyes were lit up, gentle and longing.

Sakura gazed up at his perfection, and her self-conscious feelings returned. She was about to look away when Sasuke mimicked her previous actions. His hand slid up her neck and along her jaw. But he took it a step further. He brushed his thumb against her upper lip. At first, Sakura was sure that it was accidental, but then it began encircling her mouth, carefully, gently moving to her bottom lip. And when she saw the funny look in his eye, she knew exactly what he was thinking. She stared in awe, understanding his intentions, but struggling to get her head around them.

It was such a tease. Her lips were soft and very tempting. And Sasuke knew what he wanted to do.

Sakura's heart stopped dead when he stooped his neck lower and hovered his lips over hers.

Her breath was cool from her glass of fresh water and his was warm from exhaustion.

It was a tableau for several long moments. Time stopped, as they stared into each other's eyes with strong yearning… but confusion…

Sakura couldn't take it.

She grabbed fistfuls of his hair, tilted her head slightly to the right, took a small intake of breath, preparing to cover his waiting lips with her own…

"You have another visitor," a voice called from the doorway.

And then they were both sucked back to earth. Painfully. They sprang apart, Sakura quickly withdrawing her hands, leaving Sasuke in a daze. They stared wide-eyed at the doorway as Sakura's mother entered.

Sasuke's mind was pulled into the past, to a particular phone conversation.

_"Hi, it's Sasuke."_

"I know, just one sec," _she whispered. Sasuke pressed his phone harder into his ear to catch each word. Suddenly her voice changed to a much louder, happy tone._ "Oh, I did finish that worksheet, Sasuke! Here, I've just got to go up to my room and grab it so I can give you the questions." _He heard feet pounding on the staircase again, although this time it sounded much clearer, so he assumed that Sakura was bringing the phone with her. He then heard a door slamming shut and Sakura exhaling with relief._ "Sorry about that. My mom watches me like a hawk."

Sasuke saw the woman's eyes widen, her face filled with tangled emotions. "Who are you?" she asked sharply.

"I'm Sakura's friend," he answered carefully, but her mom didn't look like she trusted him.

"Would you mind leaving?" she asked, not at all politely. Reflexively, Sasuke snatched Sakura's hand. He was not going to leave her side. But Sakura put a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him in the direction of the door while whispering, "It's ok." Sasuke reluctantly left the room.

Her mother placed more flowers onto her bedside table along with a bottle of Gatorade, while muttering something about "replenishing electrolytes". Sakura could sense her mother's disinterest though—she was edging to talk about something else. So Sakura cut to the chase.

"Sasuke's my boyfriend."

Her mother stared in terror.

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**Chapter 12 Reviewers:**

_Here'sMeBeingSilly, Nicole7788, Mistyfire's Code is Secure, SasuSakuLover, Black Kunai, kt., fumiko-chan, alayneni, sister of sasuke uchiha, Full Moon's Howl, Veroxion, ILoveKanda, QueenThayet12990, UnfortunateAngel_

Thank you all SO much for everthing!! Reviews have become my motivation!! :D

Ooooohh, I really should mention that I've got a one-page doujinshi / comic for this chapter posted on deviantArt! Check out my profile for the link!! And if you haven't seen the video trailer for this story yet, YOU SHOULD! :) It puts the story into a neat perspective! (The link is also in my profile!)

One more thing: This Friday is my SWEET 16!!! YIIIPPPIIIEEE!!! Time for the time of my life! (or so it's called :P lol)

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**-I'm going to have to think hard about the next chapter's name, so I'll put it here later-**

Time to REVIEW!! :) (PRETTY PLEASE!)


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Naruto, Drama, Romance